Transcendence
by JIMMYJAMSTER728
Summary: After Ichigo defeated Grimmjow he was attacked and beaten by Nnoitra Gilga, severely wounded and drained he is thrown into a Caja Negación portal and through event beyond his comprehension he is transported to Azeroth, stuck on an unknown world with unknown beings he must find a way to return home and save his friends before it is to late. But can he leave this world to its turmoil
1. Prologue: Trapped in this Twisting Hell

**Hello all, this is my third story, i call it Transcendence  
**

**The concept behind this came from Bleach into Azeroth, which i am a big fan of, and now am going to be creating this alongside my other works, this story will follow Ichigo's journey through Azeroth as he contends with Dragons, Elementals Lords, Demons, and the Undead as well as the Horde and Alliance. It will be a strange trip but also an enlightening one.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Prologue: Trapped in the Twisted Hell**

He could see it everywhere, madness and destruction, he ran across a floating continent in the nothingness of the void, he could see above him a storm of red and purple lightning, with great kilometre large stones and rocks floating through the abyss, destroying one another in collisions and burning so bright and hot it melted stone. He saw the energies tear apart what little world remained in this twisting hell, all around him he could hear shouts and cries for blood and death, he had seen things that would drive men mad, he was being chased, hunted, by monsters, by demons.

They have been chasing him since he arrived, to wounded and weak to defend himself properly he had no choice but to run, but even so he ran because he did not was to kill them, as evil as they appeared, as monstrous as they be he still wasn't a person who could take a life. He learnt quickly that those thoughts would serve him little here, in the hell of fire, darkness and insanity, for it he wished to survive and return home to his friends and family he needed to survive and that meant to kill, but even so he could do little of anything other than run.

A green glow caught his eyes and he leaped out of the way of a green fireball that would have burnt him to cinders had it struck, high above him on an overhanging cliff was a little imp laughing at him, cackling at his plight and his misery as another ball of flame formed in the demons hands and was tossed towards him. Leaping away he fell into the patch of a giant sword, looking over his shoulder he saw a large single edged demonic blade descend towards him, his instincts took him only a moment to leap out the way, the blade splitting the ground beneath as it made contact. The young man rolled along the ground, his arm burnt with pain as he pressed against it, he has been unable to use it since his wrist was broken, he looked up to see the demon approaching, gripping his cleaver like sword in hand and charged the foul red skinned beast.

He brought his sword down on the demons blade, the ringing of metal could barely be heard over the sound of city size meteorites crashing and destroying one another, the entire sky was blocked out by the hundreds of now flaming debris that was once one of those meteorites. The demon threw the young humans sword off of his own and retaliated, swinging his sword in a wide arc forward, the human young went to deflect the blade, he was successful but the force was still too great for him to keep his footing. He was knocked a few feet away by the strike, landing on the hard ground and grunting as he landed on his broken right arm again, looking up he saw the fel beast looming over him ready to end his life in one fell swoop. As he looked up into the golden eyes of his killer, he could only think back to the point that had brought him here, how he failed to do what he needed to.

* * *

_Two Days Ago_

_**Hueco Mundo**_

"_What's your name, Shinigami?" asked the tall Espada, in his hand was a giant axe-like weapon bearing two crescent moon-shaped blades fused together at the backs, with a large looped chain connected to the shaft at the end of the handle. On his face was a large arrogant smile that showed off his pearly white teeth, he had long straight black hair that went down past his shoulders and over his left eye was an eye patch that also appeared to be his hollow mask._

"_Kurosaki Ichigo" replied the substitute shinigami, readying his Zanpoktou for the coming fight with the unknown Espada._

"_Kurosaki huh" the espada smiled devilishly, before raising his axe over his chest as if it was nothing more than a feather, and releasing a massive burst of Spiritual Pressure "I'll remember it, for just as long as you stay alive!"_

_Ichigo's eyes widened at the sheer force of Reiatsu being released from this guy, it was huge, even bigger than Grimmjow's, and then in an instant he swung his massive weapon, like a blur it move faster than the eye could possible perceive, and right towards the tired and injured Shinigami substitute. The ground beneath the orange hair youth split apart and knocked debris and sand into the air, which the young shinigami used to escape from his newest enemy, but no sooner had he escaped the cloud, was he attacked again. Another blur of motion come from his right side, using Sinodo the Espada appeared before him, bringing us his sword as fast as he could be blocked the massive crescent axe from connecting; he could feel the heaviness and force of the weapon press down on his as he tried to keep enough reiatsu in his feet to prevent the weapon from throwing him away._

_But it proved too strong for him and he was too tired to maintain the constant flow of reiatsu to stay in the air and hold back the weapon, with one final push Ichigo was thrown from the sky and into the dunes of Hueco Mundo, as he hit the ground a massive burst of sand and dirt exploded from the impact point. Settling quickly Ichigo was back on his feet and gazing up at the Espada, and just as he became visible did the axe descend towards him again, raising his sword he blocked the blade with both hands, Ichigo groaned as the force behind the blow weighed down on his weakened body. He didn't have the strength to withstand him for too long, his attacks were to strong and his speed was something he couldn't attribute to that massive weapon or that skinny Arrancar, he stepped to the side to allow the weapon to slide against Zengetsu and to the ground._

"_Kurosaki-kun!" screamed Orihime Inoue, she ran to help Ichigo and as soon as she took her first step she was stopped._

"_Tesla!" called the Unknown Espada, then from behind Orihime another Arrancar sinodo'ed in, grabbing her around the throat and locking her arm around her back._

"_Inoue!" Ichigo screamed, his eye momentarily forced away from his enemy, which was taken advantage of by his opponent._

"_Whatcha looking at?" he said as we swung his axe towards him, but luckily it only drew back his attention to the man before him, a deep angry scowl etched itself onto Ichigo's face as he looked at the lanky Espada._

"_Let her go!" Ichigo screamed to the Arrancar, but all he did was laugh at his demands before retorting._

"_Now that's funny! That's the kind of thing a guy only says when he thinks he can keep his woman safe and win!" He sneered at the substitute, before a broad smirk appeared on his face and stuck out his long tongue, which had the number 5 tattooed onto it, Ichigo's eyes widens at the knowledge of that, this was the fifth Espada._

"_Now you get it, I am the fifth in Lord Aizen's army, that scum over there beat the crap out of you before you put him down." He said, he then pointed to himself and said "And I'm stronger than him" then pointed to Ichigo "and you are dead"_

_As these words left his mouth another wide swing blurred towards Ichigo, who could only stand there in shock knowing that he may not survive this battle._

_The battle raged on for only a few minutes, every attack he sent towards the Quinto Espada was blocked or simply bounced off his steel Hierro, and every strike sent to him was barely dodge or deflected and in most cases sent him flying through the air and into the dunes. So many times he fell and rose to his feet to fight again, but it was always met with failure, he was covered in wounds and his body was drained, he had little energy left to fight; now he was dangling by his arm in front of the Quinto. Looking up at the Espada he could see the savage glee in his eyes as he snapped his wrist, a cry of pain escaped Ichigo's lips as he was held there unable to fight back, in one desperate attempt he swung his sword lazily at the Espada's unprotected side, only for it to bounce off._

"_I didn't know what Lord Aizen was so worried about, you are fucking weak, not even worth my time, oh well I guess, might as well do what I was order to do." Said Nnoitra, dropping the substitute to the ground and then going through his pockets to pull out something, in his hand was a small purple crystal, a specially designed Caja Negación. The Caja Negacion was designed to allow the Espada to punish their Fraccion; during the development process of this little baby they discovered another dimension outside of natural world. With this little device he could throw that Shinigami into that dimension and trap him there with no chance of escaping, not even the Espada could hope to survive indefinitely in such a place, after all one had been sent there in the past and… well that's history._

_Pouring his reiatsu into the device it activated, throwing it to the side a portal opened a few feet away, he could feel the power of the other dimension washing out through it and could hear the sound of unknown creatures that lurk within, if he wasn't so sure he couldn't return he would go in just to see what it was like on the other side. But he knew better than that, grabbing the Shinigami by the collar and lifting him up to his face, he stared into the pained and shocked eyes before him, he smiled at the young substitutes fear, and it was so good to know that he was going to suffer in his last moments._

"_I wish I could kill you, but this I know this is going to be even better!" the Quinto crowed as he hoisted him back and threw him as the dark portal._

"_Ichigo!" screamed Nel and Orihime, the young shinigami watched his friends in a sort of slow motions as he drifted towards the portal, no longer having the energy to fight against the gravity of the dimensional rip, the last thing he saw were the horrified faces of his friends as he was swallowed by the darkness._

* * *

_**Twisting Nether**_

_Ichigo woke to the sound of stone being shattered and the ground quaking, he jolted up quickly, his arm burning as the pain of having it broken made itself known to his mind by his body, he looked around and found himself in a twisted version of reality. All around him he could see swirls of energy every colour imaginable and some he could not even hope to name or comprehend, and he could see the massive floating island within the abyss of nothingness, he could see far off past the swirling energy planets and stars. While within he saw hundreds of speeding comets and meteorites barrelling through the unknown abyss he occupied, he could also see massive city size chunks of earth in the distance, mountains and forests could be seen on them. He could see ruins from ancient buildings and statues scattered across the void, this was almost a place where all that is lost is found, he lifted himself to his feet and walked to the edge of the cliff he resided on, and behold a massive landmass below, mountains with razor sharp peaks and edges could be seen, he saw smaller landmasses floating above the continent below._

"_Where the hell…" he started, not to sure how the finish that sentence, he had no idea what this place was or where he was for that matter, but he could feel it, the sense of foreboding in this place, this was a place where he did not want to be. There was something here, maybe something's, which did not want him here and if they found him, it was likely he would be torn apart just like those islands in the sky were being right now, he looked around and found Zangetsu on the ground just a few feet away. Grabbing his sword with his only good hand left he looked back at the blasted landscape before him, this was a place that existed in chaos, not even Hueco Mundo could compare to the turmoil that exists here, this place would destroy anything that did not belong._

_Just as he picked up his sword a brief flicker of movement caught his attention, turning he saw a blur moving towards his head, quickly he ducked under the attack and listened as the blade cut through the air and took of a few stray hair off the top of his head. Before he could correct himself Ichigo was grabbed by the scruff at the back of his collar and tossed forward, he sailed a few feet forward before hitting the ground and rolling a few more, as he slowly got up he looked up to see his attack skulking towards him. A massive red skinned creature walked forward, in his hand was a large serrated and fanged axe; it wore thick armour over its legs and one arm, leaving its chest and right arm bare, and on its head was a disproportionate helm that covered its even smaller head._

_Raisings its axe high it brought it down low, Ichigo who was on his knees was able to deflect it with a quick swing of his sword, but was unprepared for the boot that connected to his chest, he felt the wind knocked out of him and felt a bruise begin to form on his ribs. He slammed into a nearby stone and watched as the creature charged forward with blinding speed, axe in both hands and above its head, sidestepping the blow, he watched as the weapon cleaved the stone in two and then sunk into the ground that was under it. Ichigo didn't have time to marvel at the demons strength or the weapon that seemed to be able to cleave through stone, he attacked, swinging his sword at the creature as its axe was stuck deep within the earth, but was shocked when it was blocked by said axe. When the two metals clashed they struggled to overpower one another, the fact that Ichigo was in his Bankai was the only thing keeping that axe from throwing away his sword, but even still he was weak. Then a hands shot forward and wrapped around the substitutes throat, taken by surprise he was forced to the ground, the hand slowly choking the life from him, looking up he saw the demon raise its axe to strike, quickly blocking it with his own he struggled to keep the blade at bay as well as unconsciousness._

_He could feel his eyes darken and his chest burn from the need for oxygen, with what energy he had left he threw of the blade and then twisting the sword in his hand he lopped off the red skinned demons arm, letting out a pained roar the demons retreated away from the young Shinigami. Ichigo who could now breathe lifted himself and took in deep much needed breaths before looking to the now enraged demon, forgoing his weapon decided to punch and kick the young orange haired man to death. Jumping to his feet before jumping out the way, he avoided the creatures mean right hook and was able to sliced Tensa Zangetsu into the creature's side, another howl of pain escaped it lips, before it back handed Ichigo and knocked him flat on his stomach. Quickly lifting himself up Ichigo was quick enough to didge the incoming greave to his head, rolling to the side he swung at the creature again, forcing it away and allowing him to get to his feet, the two of them stare at each other for a long while._

_Ichigo knew that he couldn't fight this thing to a standstill for long, he could kill it in one blow but was it right, he had no idea what this thing was, could he honestly kill it without knowing if it was just some normal creature trying to defend its home. He wasn't a murderer, he couldn't kill something just because it was convenient, he could kill Hollows, but he knew that they would be purified and their souls would be judged, he was only the guy that made it so, how could he decided this creatures fate. A roar caught his attention and he watched as the beast charged him like a crazed animal, he could see foam forming in its mouth and madness in its eyes, there was no way that he could kill something, but was this thing even deserving of being allowed to live, did it even have a conscious other than to kill. Many conflicting emotions ran through his mind as he decided the fate of the being before him, to kill or to not, he had to make a decision, with sudden burst of Shunpo he was behind the creature, on his knees and panting lightly, the exertion of reiatsu to much on his already tired body. He looked over his shoulder to the demon behind him, he had halted mid-step, not moving a muscle, then along its neck one could see a thin black line, and slowly black blood began to seep from the wound and then the head arched forward and fell to the ground with a dull thud. The body followed after a few seconds, almost in a comical fashion, first falling to its knees and then its hand trying to keep its body from falling and then its went limp on the ground, all the while the Substitute watched as it all happened, he had killed something. _

_He had murdered another for his own life, but what was that life now, he had no idea where he was and how to get back to Hueco Mundo, or if he could from this place, there was no telling if he could even make it through this place before more of those 'things' show up. Just as he thought about it he heard pebbles falling from a cliff overhead, looking up he saw something he wished he didn't, he saw a small army of creatures above him, most were things he would surmise as demons of hell. He saw large orange skin beast with large wings and hooved feet and long snouts, wielding massive sword and axes, then there were smaller grey skinned creatures that had large horns and sinister smiles on their faces, and even woman with tattered wings, tails and horns, he could honestly say that this place was hell. How right he was._

* * *

Present

A quick shunpo saved him from being cut in two, appearing a few feet away he lifted himself back to his feet; he had been running for the last two days from these things, not getting a single bit of sleep or rest as they hounded him mercilessly. He held his sword in one hand and through clenched teeth waited for him to attack, but before either the Imp or Fel guard could strike, a new adversary made itself known, leaping up from over the side of the floating earth and from the abyss. A creature of light blue, large tattered wings and hooved feet, but its stomach was a giant maw that spewed flames, wielding a massive two handed rune blade struck from his left hand side. Leaping back as quickly as he could he watched as the ground was torn apart from the attack, breaking apart the rock below and forming a small crater, Ichigo surmised the small group before him, he was outmatched, they had something that could take a beating, dish it out and something to keep him on his toes as they close in. He couldn't fight them, not in his condition anyway, he needed to escape and find somewhere they couldn't follow, but ever where he went he would run into more of those things and sometimes even different varieties of demons.

Turning tail he rushed off to find somewhere to escape, but he knew that the chances would be slim in such a place as this, he had to escape or he would be killed for sure, without rest or treatment he would eventually collapse and be at their mercy, if there is such a thing. He ran as far as he could, dodging anything at came at him, steel, fire, shadow and evil the occasional flirt from a succubus, but even he couldn't outrun the inevitable, he was tiring and he couldn't hold out forever, he stopped for a moment to rest and collect his thoughts.

'Alright, you are trapped in some sort of hell dimension, so that means that I'm screwed' he thought, he looked around to make sure that nothing was coming at him for the moment, he was relieved when he sense and saw nothing. 'But there has to be some sort of portal or gateway out of here, I mean come on if they can send someone here they can send someone out'

As he finished those thoughts he heard something approaching, grabbing his Zanpakuto and moving to the small crevice to hide in he waited as the creature moved over head, he could hear the clattering of boots and sniffing? He dared not look lest he be found, but if they had some sort of hell hounds after him then what hope did he have, hefting his blade up he waited for the time to strike and then run for it, just as he saw some black tendrils creep down over the edge of the wall he drew back his sword.

Then he heard one of them speak, their words were in a foreign dialect, speaking in a dark language that made him wince in anxiety at hearing the words, just as they were spoken the black tendrils moved away and he heard their footsteps move off. He didn't breath for another minute until he was sure they were gone, taking in a deep breath and then exhaling it quickly, he slowly crept out of the hole he was in and looked around and found nothing in sight, another relieved sigh escaped his lips. Ichigo knew better than to stay around in one place for too long, these demons knew this place like the back of their hand, and they would find him eventually if he didn't move, sadly that also meant that he would likely be caught as he moved as well. It was really a lose-lose situation for him, no matter what he did it would backfire and explode in his face, but he picked up enough about these creatures to at least sense when they were approaching, and from what he could pick up he was at least two hundred metres from the nearest demon.

He was always a quick learner, and when it came to saving his life he went into overdrive trying to figure out if he could sense these things, and luckily for him these creatures gave off very weird reiatsu, it was dark and malevolent, which sent a shiver up his spine any time they drew near. He could navigate his way through this hell hole and look for a place to stay without fear of being attacked, and then he would find a way out of her and back to Hueco Mundo to save Orihime and the others. He hoped that his departure wasn't as bad as he thought, Renji and Rukia were there to help, surely they could fight against the Quinto and beat him and Chad with Ishida he knew would be fine, but what about Nel and Orihime, they were at the Quinto's mercy now. He shook his head, he couldn't think about that now, he needed to get out of here and do what needed to be done when he got back home, that is all he had to worry about now, getting back home.

He walked to a small overhang and saw the broken land before him, he honestly wondered how far this went on, he had been running for two and a half days and hasn't even made it across the damn rock yet and there were dozens he could see in the distance that were likely bigger than Las Noches. He could see the mountain off in the distance that likely walled off one side of the island from another, and as he searched along its walls for a route to traverse he noticed a black spot near its base that ran up to another a few metres above it. He didn't know what it was at first, but since he was going that way why not see what it was, for the next few hours he travelled across the landscape avoiding any demons patrols as he could, but there were many close calls where he was nearly discovered, saved only because of there being a lucky hiding spot for him.

As he neared the unknown structure more demons began to appear, he could feel them closing in on him, every few feet he stepped forward the closer they got on all sides, and more would appear, he could also feel something much more powerful than the run of the mill rabble that walks around this place. Something very powerful was inside that structure and from what he could tell he was the head honcho here, and if he was then maybe he could see if whatever this guy was had a portal out of here, and if not he could fight him and see about getting one. Even without his bankai he should be able to fight him one on one with ease, and if not he could always Shunpo out of there and escape, he just hoped that if he did fight he could escape.

Soon he was at the base of the mountain, hiding behind a large cluster of rocks, he saw a large temple at the foot of the mountain and from it sprung a large stairwell leading to a tower on the face of the mountain. He couldn't see any guard, nor could he sense anything other than the thing inside, he was less willing to enter now, this thing could only compare to a captain, and even though he's fought against one before he probably wouldn't stand a chance without his Bankai or Hollow Mask. His reiatsu was low and he was still wounded and battered, from his fight with the Quinto Espada and the demons he has been running from the last few days, so whatever is inside he would probably not stand a chance against.

As these thoughts came to mind another thought did, 'Duck!' acting on his instincts he dropped to his knees and not a second to late, for the massive stone next to him shattered and was blowed away by a massive attack, looking over his shoulder he saw another demon. This one had light blue skin and had a mouth and eyes on his chest and stomach, which were ablaze with fel energy, he cursed himself for not sensing him earlier, in his hand was a large maul that would have pulverised him into nothing had he not ducked when he did. Gripping Zangetsu tightly he pulled it from his back and spun on his heels while pulling his weapon from his back, the white cloth unwrapped itself as he pulled it free, and while he spun he swung his sword at the demon. Cutting a gash into its chest and over its left 'chest' eye, but that did only one thing, anger it, it brought back its maul and then swung it down at the substitute, who had only a moment to leap out of the way, as the maul made contact the ground shattered and broke apart. Ichigo lunched forward intending to sever the beast right hand that held the weapon, as he swung down his blade he was caught off guard by what happened next, the hand had disappeared, the demon had let go of its weapon and let the attack carry the young substitute forward from not meeting resistance.

Then a hand grasped the back of the youths head and slammed it into the face of what remained of the stone wall, Ichigo blacked out from the attack, he woke up to see himself being dangled in the air by his head while the demon slowly crushed his skull. Screaming as the demons put increasing pressure onto his skull, Ichigo looked to his blade, which now was on the ground several inches below his dangling feet, he could escape the creatures grip and he didn't have his weapon on him. He watched as a toothy smile came to the demons faces as its victim realised that it was as good as dead, and Ichigo knew this was true, there was no way he could escape this thing, he was as good as dead now that he couldn't fight back. He had failed, he didn't save Inoue, he didn't stop the Espada, he didn't defeat Aizen, and he was going to die here, he set out to save his friends and in the end he would die in some hellish dimension alone.

"Hold!" came a powerful voice, it was dark and echoing, it carried on the winds and met his ears, then the pain of his skull flexing involuntarily disappeared as the demons grasp on him diminished, looking down he saw the demon looking off to something. "Bring him to me!"

When these words were said a dark growl was heard from the demon in front of him, before he lowered his hand quickly and dragged the substitute along the ground, but not before picking up his blade and sheathing it inside its metal belt. For the next few minutes Ichigo was mercilessly dragged across the charred landscape and into the dark structure he saw earlier, and when he entered he saw a massive temple, inside were statues of unknown creatures and beings, with dark frescos of unknown events and scenes. He saw in the distance creatures standing in the halls like guards, unmoving and uncaring as they passed by, they have long tails, digitigrade legs, horns, and a formidable suit of armor as well as large bastard-swords, obviously whoever owned this place was definitely powerful and respected.

As he travelled through the temple he saw more sights, he saw rooms full of unknown object and weapons, as well as demons and other foul creatures, and he couldn't understand how he didn't sense them before, was it because he was so close to the place that his sense blocked it out? Soon he was being dragged up the steps, he didn't utter a single word or protest, lest the guard get carried away and cause more grievous harm to him, and soon he entered the tower at the top of the stairwell.

The first thing he saw was a long hallway leading to a larger room, along the walls were statues of demons, many of which he could not recognise or comprehend in design, soon he came to the main room that took up the entire interior of the tower, there was no roof save for the one at the pinnacle. The structure was a massive hollowed out cylindrical room, there were several pillars that likely kept the walls sturdy and there were no windows to allow any light within, but along the pillars were large braziers that burnt a bright blue but the room was still a dark blood red. At the end of the room was a throne of bronze and black, and sitting on it was a large demon that one would think a cross between the devil and a vampire. A pale humanoid creature sat before him, his head bowed as if brooding, he had large horns that extended far out from his forehead, he wore thick dark plated armour and had large tattered wings that folded behind him, and hooved feet. At the base of his throne were two succubi who were caressing his feet and legs and moaning, but none the less the demon paid them no heed, as he watched he was thrown from the demons grasp and onto the floor. Looking back at the demon he Zangetsu still holstered within the demons belt, if he could get it he could possibly escape, but before he could think about doing that the demons voice called to him.

"So who is this mortal that invades our realm?" asked the demon, arrogance and malice rolling of his tongue and coating his words, Ichigo looked up at the horned demon and saw black eyes staring into his own. Slowly getting to his feet, Ichigo didn't take his eyes off the demon before him, for he could sense the power it possessed and knew that if he took his eyes away for even a second then he would likely be killed in a second. "Speak mortal!"

"I was sent here by an enemy" said Ichigo, buy time to see about getting his sword back from the demon behind him.

"Is that so?" asked the demon, resting his chin in his hand as he gazed at the substitute before him. "He must have truly hated you to send you to this place to die."

Ichigo didn't respond to the demons jab, he obviously didn't know he was a shinigami, but the demon knew that he was powerful enough to be a potential threat, so he could work on that as he thought of something to get his weapon back.

"Why am I here?" asked Ichigo

"Why you said so yourself, you were brought here by an enemy" jested the Dreadlord, making Ichigo scowl at his response, the demon noticed this and when he abruptly stopped his laughing continued on in a much more serious tone.

"I was curious as to the creature that invaded my realm; after all you don't see many humanoids in entering the Twisted Nether now days." He said amused, so this was what this place was called.

"You didn't answer my question, why am I here?"

"I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about before you died" he said before pointing his finger toward him and a bolt of red lightning shot from his hand, Ichigo had only a second to move out of its path, and when he did the bolt past mere inches from his side. He turned and saw the demon moving forward, both hands on its maul, and behind him he saw the amused sneer on the demons face, he charged the demon with his weapon and intended to get it back.

He rushed at the demon quickly, using what reiatsu he had in his legs to increase his speed, the demons reared back its hammer and when Ichigo was close he swung, and while this happened the substitute ducked under the attack and reached for his weapon. But the demon pulled back and prevented to young orange haired youth from reclaiming his sword, Ichigo sailed forward a few more metres and stopped, the demon laughed at his attempt to retake his weapon. But to the terrorguard's surprise and the Dreadlord's amusement the young man was smirking, looking down the demon looked to see in the shinigami's hands was a white cloth that extended from him to the Terrorguard, he followed it all the way to the hilt of the sword sheathed in his belt. Then before he could realise what was going on Ichigo pulled the cloth hard, forcing his sword out of the demons belt and towards its rightful owner, the demon was surprised by the tactic, but none so more until what he did next. The young man used the cloth and the sword as a range weapon, he swung the sword around in a wide arc and right back at the demon, the terrorguard looked at the incoming blade and quickly raised his maul to block the attack. He saw the sword and knew it was coming to strike at his head, he watched as it sailed toward him and with his maul in its way there was no way it could hurt him, then the sword extended to the left, no longer in his path but just a metre to the left of where he was standing.

Looking back he saw the cloth strike the maul handle and then out of the corner of his eye he saw the blade change direction and veer towards his unprotected neck, his shocked that he had been beaten by such an unorthodox tactic was the last that passed through his mind before he was decapitated. The cloth went around the maul several more times before his sword clanged against the unknown metal, with a quick tug he pulled back his sword and the maul, his sword wrapping unfolding themselves as both weapon flew towards him, he let go of his cloth and then grasped the hammer in one hand. Even with its heaviness he could lift it, and pushing as much reiatsu into his arm he threw it at the demon, and then caught his own blade and charged after the flying maul, ready to strike when the demon made his move to deflect or evade the attack.

Lord Hel'nurath was amused by this humanoids antics, he had actually killed the terrorguard in only a few second, that was a testament to his skill and the fact he was only a teenager further showed that he had potential to be so much more. He then looked to the maul that was moving towards his head and with a simple thrust of his palm the hammer was shattered by a bolt of dark green energy, and close behind it was the charging youth with his sword in one hand. He smirked at the human's folly; to think he could beat him with such a simple tactic, raising his other free hand the dreadlord blocked the attack with his own elongated claws, a surprised look cross the boy's face. Throwing the child away, he watched as he landed on his feet, and he rose from his throne and approached the boy, he would take care of this himself.

Ichigo watched as the eight foot tall demon rose from his throne and skulked towards him, he could feel the dark power washing off of him, he was powerful and the fact he destroyed the hammer with a wave of his hand and blocked him with nothing but his fingernails proved that. The demon then leaped forward, gliding through the air and descending towards him, Ichigo leaped away from the demon as its claws duck into the ground where he stood only a moment ago, then he was forced to lean to the side to avoid another set of claws. Ichigo was forced on the defensive, he had only his one good arm and he could activate his bankai, he was too weak and the demon was relentless in his assault, he didn't have enough time to counter any attack before he was forced to either dodge or leap out of the way. Ichigo could use the last of his Reiatsu to attack but he needed to make sure that when he did he either killed him or at least wounded him so he could finish the job, and there was only one thing he knew that could do that sort of damage.

For the next few minutes the battle raged on, Ichigo blocked and dodged to attacks that he could, from sharp claws to demon magic, all the while waiting for the perfect time to strike, but he hoped it came along soon, his wounds were starting to pile up. He had three long gashes across his side, a deep cut across his shoulder and several on his arms and legs, he was bleeding very badly, from what he could tell he probably wouldn't survive another hit or makes it through the hour with the wounds he had. Another attack forced him to leap away, the deep dark claws cutting his Shihakusho rather than his flesh, landing several feet from the dreadlord Ichigo sized up the powerful demon before him, he had not been able to land a single blow on the powerful demon. He had no injuries and appeared no worse for wear in his efforts to carve the young substitute apart, which made Ichigo worried that his next move might not be effective enough to wound him, but he had little choice.

"What is the matter little human, afraid that you cannot defeat me?" said the Dreadlord, his tone carrying the same arrogant and deep ambience it always has, Ichigo shot back a confident smirk before replying

"You kidding, I'm just getting started" he replied, a cocky grin on his face and a tone to match, the dreadlord smirked to at the young boys arrogance, how fun he thought it would be to show him how futile his bravado was. "In fact, I'm just about to finish you off"

"Is that so?" said the Dreadlord, spreading his arms wide in welcome, goading the boy into attacking, and that is what he just did. Charging in like a madman, screaming as he did and pulling his sword back in one hand, Hel'nurath could see the attack would do little to him, it was nothing he could stop or dodge, after all the boy was lucky he hasn't passed out yet from blood loss or exhaustion.

As Ichigo drew closer he began to pour his reiatsu into his blade, he could feel it channelling through his arms and into Zangetsu, soon his blade began to glow with blue spiritual pressure and continue to build, he wasn't going to half ass this, he was going with everything he had. Hel'nurath at first was not worried about the boys attack, but now his amusement had turned to surprise he could feel it, great power coming from the boys blade, he looked down at the simple cleaver and saw its once dazzling black form shrouded in blue energy.

"Getsuga…"

A massive surge of energy released from his sword, like lightning it shot of the blade and flowed through the air, illuminating the entire tower in a great sapphire hue, Hel'nurath was shocked by this sudden power that he didn't consider how it was to be used. He thought that the attack would have to be direct, contact with the enemy in order for it to strike, but he was wrong, taking another step forward the young substitute unleashed his shikai's special ability.

"…Tensho!"

He swung his sword up and from it the energy shot out in a crescent wave of blue spirit pressure, craving into the stone and creating a massive torrent of wind, the Dreadlord watched in shock as the attack moved closer towards him. He felt the pressure of the wave crush down on his shoulder before it even made contact; it was like it increased the gravity of anything within its vicinity, he raised both his hands as the blue wave crashed into him, trying to stop the power that overwhelmed his senses and his body. Hel'nurath was sliding across the stone floor as his hand, now coated in fel energy tried to step off the unknown attack from the youth, he could feel gravity forcing him down and the forced pushing him away, and no matter how much power he put into his shield the crescent continued to push him away.

Soon Hel'nurath back slammed into the wall, and with nowhere else to go the energy pushed against his form, and as it had nowhere else to go as well there was only one thing it could do, exploded on impact, and when it did the entire tire was caught in the shockwave. The walls and pillars began to fall apart and the room shook as the buildings foundation came undone, Ichigo looked to the massive dust cloud that obscured the demon, he could still feel him and that meant he was alive, he could allow him time to get back up. Charging forward Ichigo stabbed his blade forward, and the moment he entered the cloud there was a clang of steel, the attack cleared all obstruction from view to see a wounded dreadlord holding off the blade, that intended to pierce his heart, with one hand, all the while preventing himself from sliding down the wall with the other. Hel'nurath couldn't believe that this human was able to wound him so severely, the attack had done more damage when it exploded that impact, he was lucky it wasn't more condensed otherwise it may have cut him in half, and now he was warding off the boys sword.

As he looked at the hard brown eyes of the substitute, gauging the strength that did not come naturally for this mortal, he felt power brewing behind him, looking over his shoulder and saw to his shock a transmutation circle etched into the wall. Lord Hel'nurath had placed a transmutation circle in his tower to allow him to transport himself from one place to another with ease, from his private chambers in the Twisted Nether to his homeworld of Xeroth. To use it require a great deal of power as well as concentration on where it would send you, but the circled seemed to have awakened on its own, but how could it, there was nothing for it draw on and it required him specifically to open it. Then it dawned on him, when he crashed into it the circle must have activated and with the energy the boy sent at him it absorb a portion of it, but without a destination it could kill them, he tried to remove himself from the position he was in, the portal would drag him to anywhere in the greater dark.

"Get away you fool!" bellowed the demon, but Ichigo pressed his blade all the harder now, its tip slicing into the demons destroy breastplate and prodding against the pale flesh beneath.

Then a brilliant flash of green light appeared behind the dreadlord, the circle had activated, and in that moment a place portal appeared, the dreadlord fell back into the black abyss, and with his hand he grabbed hold of the sword and pulled the substitute with him. Ichigo and the demon fell through the portal and into the darkness, they could see nothing but darkness all around them, but they felt their bodies being propelled at speeds they couldn't believe, they felt like their bodies were going to be torn apart. Pulling in more than one direction at a time, it was like going up, down, backward and forwards, side to side all at the same time, it felt agonising, and in the moment it began it was over, Ichigo felt himself return to real space and then he felt himself hit the ground hard. He couldn't even lift himself up after what happened; all he remembered before darkness took him was screaming, yelling and an evil roar.

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**There you have it, the first chapter in my latest work, Read and Review**


	2. Chapter 01: Delirium

**Hello to all and all a good morning**

**I hope you enjoyed my first chapter of my latest story, and from the very warm welcome i received from so many different visitors made my heart leap from my chest in happiness that so many decided to give my story a look. As many of you know this is my third story, which is a Warcraft and Bleach Crossover, which does not run concurrent or before United Against the Legion of Flames (Another one of my WarcraftXBleach Crossovers) which is going to be recieving a little spruce up. I wasn't entirely satisfied with how it went so I decided to fix up a few things here and there and change things all together and with that i am also posting another chapter with it. All details on my direction with that particular story will be place within, so check it out.**

**Now on With some reviews**

**Rmdmus87: Thanks you, as for pairings, I have a few ideas on who he could woo or who could woo him. But i'll leave that for later in the story and also I'll put up a poll for you guys to vote on when the time comes.**

**Guest: I am to please**

**NIX'S WARDEN: GLAD YOU LIKE IT, As for his Bankai and Mask, I'll be making a few changes here and there about how he can use it, after all don't want him to powerful now do we, and as he moves through the world and learns about it and experiences it dangers he will evolve, changing along with it, by the time he returns back to Hueco Mundo he will be all kinds of Bad-Assery.**

**Leapinglemur: Well keep a look out for later chapters and you shall see.**

**ultima-owner: Of course, would you have him any other way?**

**saddas74: Thanks, I had some problems figuring out what the Twisted Nether looked like, so i did some research and eventually came up with that you read just last chapter. And Ichigo, I'm gonna be doing a lot of character development with him, this world is no place for the weak, while he isn't weak in strength he is in mind and mentality, for he had certain rules that he will adhere to, such as not killing. But as he moves across Azeroth he will have to learn that sometime sacrifices need to be made so others can live in peace.**

**Zaralann: Thanks!**

**Tundrafire: Thank you! And here is the next chapter hope you like.**

**friaku: I thank you for your kind word, its true there are not many Bleach and Warcraft Crossovers, but luckily i have heard from a certain writer that he will be doing a rewrite on one of his stories that is a Bleach and Warcraft Crossover, so keep your eyes out for Bleached Into Azeroth.**

**I would like to thank you all for your reviews and hope to hear more from you, both praise and criticism so that I know what I am doing right and wrong.**

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**Transcendence**

**Chapter 01: Delirium**

The first sound he heard when he roused himself from his slumber was a great roar, not one of a lion or of a bear, but a roar of an unknown creature, whose bellow was both powerful and menacing at the same time, its roar alone made the ground and air quake with its intensity, and its steps only aided in further unhinging the ground beneath their feet. He felt the dark overwhelming force of the creature power press down upon him, in his current condition he could barely stand let alone look up to see what was happening around him, and even that was hard, his vision was impaired and his ears were still ringing from the portal and the crash.

"The demon is loose! Quickly we must restrain him!" called out someone, their words hard to pick up through the ringing that had only begun to pass, whoever it was wasn't alone nor where they the same as that demon he was fighting. There was then the sound of crackling fire and an unknown echoing, he could tell that there was something happening but not what, and he heard another roar and several explosions and then intense heat nearby, it looked like whoever else was here was fighting the 'demon'. But he had no idea if it was the same demon he had been fighting only a few moments ago or if it was something else entirely, either way there seemed to be a large battle taking place around him, he wonder who was winning and if he should make the effort to try and open his eyes to see for himself.

When he was finally able to open his eyes his blurry vision showed him a sight beyond words, he was in the middle of a battle, on one side was a group of yellow and blue robed people –with long ears, purple skin and outrageous hair colours, who were wielding fire, ice and some sort of blue and purple energy- and a massive demonic hound. He could see fireballs being cast at the massive black scaled creature, the fire doing nothing but enraging it beyond what it already was, it was an understatement to call it huge; it was well over twenty feet in height and maybe half as much again as long. It had a large upper body that supported its massive arms and two craniums – they were round headed with a crown of grey spikes that ran from around the top of the skull down both necks and then down the lengths of their spine –, in the centre of each of their foreheads was a large red eye with black slits for pupils and beneath were law maws with many razor sharp jagged teeth. While its head had only one eye each, on its back were dozens of tentacles which sprung out of its neck and upper back which each had one of its own eyes, the tentacle ranging from a few feet long and an inch or two thick with an eye as big as a basketball, while others were as thick as a full grown tree and just as long as one and had an eye as big in diameter as a person's body.

Its body took a great deal of punishment from these sorcerers, shaking off explosive fire bolts and unknown energy attacks that looked able to incinerate or maybe destroy a normal person's body with ease, even he would be seriously injured with the type of Kido they were using.

With a roar it latched onto a nearby sorceress and Ichigo grimaced in disgust at the fate that awaited the screaming woman, as he heard her bones crack and break with then her flesh and body being ripped apart by the beast large teeth, before there was one final chomp and then her body disappeared into its throat. Another roar was heard and the beast just disappeared, in a flash it was in one place and then it was behind another unfortunate victim, and was that sinodo? No that thing actually teleported behind the poor man that was now being torn apart by the two head. Putting these thought behind him Ichigo went to escape, he put his hand under him and slowly lifted himself up to his knees, all around him he could hear shouting and screaming, all about keeping the demon at bay, don't let it escape and bring the price, but he blocked it all out trying to get to his knees. After nearly a minute and two failed attempts he was on his knees, he was panting heavily at the excursion along just to get where he was now, what came next was likely going to be even harder, taking another look around he saw the battle was going in the demons favour, several bodies sprawled across the floor in pieces.

Not letting the sight discourage him he then fought to lift himself to his feet, his legs shaking and his body resisting his attempts to push itself any further, but his will to survive overrode any other thoughts of staying where he was, with Zangetsu as a crutch and a groan and he was on his feet, barely. He looked around the area; and was shocked by its massive scale of the structure he was within, over a hundred and fifty metres in diameter easily and walls that were maybe forty metre high; he was in the centre of a large cylindrical amphitheatre that sat in the centre of the massive complex. The amphitheatre had many alcoves carved into the stone, making it appeared as if it was a forum of some sort, but based on what was going on here it was likely a prison of some sort for that large demon over there, but how did they keep such a thing contained? As he asked that question he felt a strange sensation brushing against his skin, it some form of energy that practically saturated the stones on this amphitheatre, which made the stones within glow a light blue that illuminated the inner ring, he could actually feel it within the stones beneath his feet, and it didn't feel anything like Reiatsu. Maybe this is what they used to keep it from escaping; the opening in the alcove couldn't fit it through but just barely, so this place was likely meant to keep the thing here, but what purpose would they have to keeping such a dangerous and evil being in their presence.

As he looked up he saw something moving towards him, he didn't know what to call it at first, some sort of apparition or maybe some form of demon, but he didn't know what it was, the thing was a large glowing creature of purple, pink and blue. It had a large upper body and no feet, it appeared to be floating just a few inches off the ground, making it appear as a revere teardrop it had large arms and claw which had metal gauntlet with glowing purple crystals, obviously that was the only thing that was corporeal on the creature. The thing wasn't like a living creature it felt more like energy, similar to that inside this room now, maybe it was some sort of manifestation of the energy rather than a living creature. As it drew closer he could feel it seeping the energy from around it and absorbing it, almost like it was some sort of leech, when it passed him he felt his reiatsu being pulled out of him and into the creature, he almost lost his footing if not for Zangetsu. He looked over his shoulder and saw what its target was, not the demon dog or any of the other people, but the demon that had fallen through the portal with him, he was only a few feet away from Ichigo, and he was on his feet and bleeding lightly. But apart from that he was completely unharmed, and from how he was staring at Ichigo, very angry, he looked like he was about to attack but was stopped by the strange energy creature, which latched onto the demon and started to tear into him.

"Damn mindless beast, out of my way!" he shouted at the strange energy creature, before sending a bolt of energy at it, which it quickly absorbed and resumed its attack, forcing the dreadlord to take his attention away from the wounded Ichigo in order to prevent the Mana Surge from draining his power.

Ichigo turned away from the battle and slowly began to move toward the nearby alcove, this was probably his only chance of escaping this place without being attacked, so why wait around and see who wins. He walked forward as a snail's pace, dragging his feet along with Zangetsu against the floor; he didn't even have the energy to lift his sword and sheath him or even his feet to take a normal step, he was completely drained, he didn't even have a handful of reiatsu left. But what surprised him was that he could feel any of it nearby, he could sense a single particle of reiatsu, true he may not be able to sense or supress his spiritual pressure but that didn't meet he could feel it around him, something was horribly wrong here. As he climbed up the stairs and then moved out through the alcove he grabbed hold of the wall and tried to catch a breath and keep himself from falling down, he had never felt so drained before and he almost say that the energy here was affecting him, almost like his body was having a bad reaction to it. He didn't know why but the energy he felt around him seemed to be seeping into his skin, he like his body was trying to restore his Reiryoku, but since there was no Reiatsu around, his body wasn't accepting this new energy, it was like putting oil in water and thinking they were going to mix together. Every time it tried to absorb it his body would react by expelling it, and that would only exhaust him more, he had to get out of here, this energy was going to do more damage than good if he didn't escape it. He took in another deep breath and moved off the wall and tried to continue, but before he could take another step be was halted by one of the sorcerers, he looked up at him, and could only make out the colour of his skin and the fact he had glowing eyes.

"You! You caused this! You released the demon from his prison!" he screamed; Ichigo couldn't make out his appearance aside from the green and blue robes and his snow grey hair, but he could see he was a good two head taller than him. The unknown sorcerer raised his large crystal staff and two tornados of wind manifested by his side, but they were not just wind and magic, they were living beings, and they were creatures of crackling clouds and gale force winds. Lightning coursed through their nearly transparent forms and their eyes were glowing orbs of electrified gold, with two columns of mist shooting from their tornado-like bodies like giant arms, each one encircled with blue metal bracers.

"I will take pleasure in killing you Human!" shouted the sorcerer, he raised his hand and was about to order the attack on the young boy, when suddenly the nearby wall was blow outwards and the demon dog from hell came barrelling out with a roar, with a recently killed man in his bloody jaw. The wall collapsed and the stone above the two adjacent alcoves fell as well, Ichigo looking up to see it coming towards him and on instinct he leapt away, he landed just to the left of one of the elementals, he looked up to see one of the elementals and the unknown sorcerer defending themselves from the demon. The other elemental had been crushed underneath falling debris, its bracer shattered and the mist that formed its body dispersing into the air, he looked over the battlefield and saw the demon he had fought had dealt with the energy creature and was now likely looking for him. Seeing no other choice but to run he did, quickly getting to his feet he stumbled forward and tried to fight through the dizziness and blurry vision while searching for a way out, all the while he heard the sounds of the demon tearing through the area and its residents, if he was in any other state of mind and had the power he would have aided them in stopping the beast. But he was in no condition to fight, nor did he feel like his services would be met with thanks and a handshake or two, these people don't seem like the friendly type.

As he waddled towards the outer wall he noticed a large crystal pylon nearby, he could see a large crystal suspended above a large metal base, and the crystal was cracked and gave off small pulses of light, but the crystal was dead and it looked like it would need to be replaced with another. Around it many different sorcerers tried to do so, pouring their own energy into the large gem and hoping their effort would work, but the reason they were trying to fix it or if it was working completely eluded the young shinigami, but it was likely a good thing. If they weren't so occupied with recapturing that demon dog and holding of that other demon then he may have been in trouble, he could still hear the beast tearing apart their unfortunate souls and the dreadlord screaming for his blood, but he still was in danger of being eaten or torn apart by that dreadlord if he didn't find an escape root soon. His wish was answered when he spotted a large opening not too far from where he was, he could see a long tunnel leading to god knows where, but he couldn't be too picky about where he escaped to, and with some effort he turned on his feet and made a bee-line for the exit.

As soon as he entered the hall the sound of battle began to dim into nothing, he could make out the occasional shout and scream but it had diminished into a faint whisper, he had only been walking for a few minutes and his body was starting to sway and his vision was becoming dimmer, likely that energy he was exposed to was doing some good for him. He could barely see a few feet ahead of him, but it wasn't because of the lighting, no, his vision was becoming dimmer and that meant that he was likely on the verge of losing consciousness, he needed to find a way out of here before the demon or those 'elves?' came after him, he was no shape to fight his Reiryoku was gone and he could barely walk and stand at the same time. For several minutes he pushed himself through the tunnel, which turned into halls, then into rooms, but soon his walking took him to the ramparts of the outer wall; he looked over the wall to see a massive stone city that was in ruins.

Over the wall he saw a large dense forest for miles before it halted at a wall of mountains, but from the distance they could be days if not weeks away from where he was, he could also see small towers in the distance near those mountains, just peeking out of the canopy. He then turned to look at the inside of the city, seeing only a blasted ruin of what would have likely been a grand metropolis, hundreds of large buildings and towers lay in ruins on the ground and in tatters, the ground no longer paved with stone was broken apart and covered in layers of dirt and mud. Trees and plant life now owned the city, spreading across every structure and dominating them in height, but it was more than a metaphor that nature had taken up residence in the city, for there was truly thing down there that were part of nature.

Large walking trees could be seen patrolling the courtyards below, their mossy grey bark hides could easily distinguish them from the now dead trees that were planted in the ground, and around them were smaller beings, like small trees that were still growing, almost like they were its children, little seedlings. They had few leave on their branch like heads and moved by using their root like legs, they were strange creatures, but it was the small flora-like creatures that caught his attention, what kind of fairy tale hellhole had he ended up in, this didn't make any fucking sense. As he looked down something shot up from under the wall, a massive three fingered claw, Ichigo stumbled backwards from it as it slammed into the stone over the edge, before another appeared and began to pull something up. Then from below the edge came one of the large tree-like creatures that he saw patrolling down below, it lifted itself up and stood over eighteen feet tall and was big in bulk, and as soon as it saw Ichigo, it attacked.

A massive wooden claw descended towards the soul reaper, forcing him to leap away from the faded bark or be crushed under it, and he landed three metres away and looked back to see the massive hand had pierced and shattered the stone, what the hell is that thing? It appeared to be a large grey barked tree with two large stump like legs which was covered in thick grey moss and leaves, it had a large upper body and back hump that was covered as well in leaves and moss, the only part seen was it flat face which appeared mostly human. It had a large flat noise and wide eyes, a small mouth with jagged teeth jutted out from its lower jaw, it looked on with no emotion and uttered nothing except a drawn-out guttural groan or grunt. It had two long arms that were connected to even larger forearms which only grew in side as it moved toward the three fingered claw-like hands, which seemed to be able to pierce and break apart stone with little effort.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder and saw the massive creature moving towards him, it raised its massive stump foot and lifted it over the shinigami; Ichigo rolled out of the way as the massive foot came down toward him, as the stump hit the stone it shattered and the force knocked Ichigo even further away than intended. He rolled several times before coming to a stop near the edge of the wall; only the battlements keeping him from falling to the ruins below, as he shook off the wave of dizziness he looked up at the walking sapling and saw a large clawed hand descended towards him, he leapt away and watched as the massive wooden limb crusted the stone battlement he was next to. In retaliation Ichigo shot up and stabbed his sword into its arm, he found it surprising that he could only pierce a few inches into the bark, even in his weakened state he should have pierced it entirely, but what surprised him even more the creature shot back as if in pain. It growled and moaned as if the attack actually did it harm, but not enough it would seem as it attacked again, he let out an indignant roar before swiping at the shinigami, it swung both arms at him, it tore apart the stone behind Ichigo, who was laying prone on the floor to avoid being struck. The battlements were taken apart but he was lucky it missed him, and as the second arm passed over, he shot up to his knees and buried his sword into its forearm, the only thing keeping him in this battle was the adrenaline going through his veins right now, the tree let out another roar and it pulled its arm away. But instead of removing the sword when he pulled away, he brought it with his arm along with the weapons wielder, Ichigo kneeled on the arm as it flew back, using Zangetsu as a clasp to prevent himself from being thrown off.

When the tree stopped moving he attacked, pulling Zangetsu free before leaping towards the creature's face and sinking his sword into its forehead, tearing away pieces of bark and eliciting a roar of pain from the creature, it thrashed around as the blade sunk into its forehead and doing whatever simulated damage it did. Ichigo grabbed hold of the wad of roots and leaves that made up its hairline and reefed Zangetsu free, bringing forth another roar and more wild movement, before he quickly sunk his blade into its eye, tree sap and bark flew out of the now disembowel socket. Its roars became louder and it's struggling all but increased, it reached up to remove the cause of its pain, but its hand was met by the edge of Zangetsu, before another strike pierced its socket again, digging deeper into the faded wood. It tried again to remove the insect that infested its branches, only for one of its claws to be nearly cut from its hand, it dangled from the trees hand by only a few shreds of bark, and then it was lost with the sudden jolt of movement which was caused from another attack.

"Just die already!" screamed Ichigo, stabbing his blade repeatedly into the creatures face, tearing away bark and wood in large portions, even though the tree showed signs of pain, it didn't when it came to dying.

Another roar of pain escaped its lips as it moved dangerously close towards the edge of the rampart, thrashing wildly to get the young substitute off its face, trying to rip it free for its hands to be cut and stabbed, it stood at the precipice with only one foot keeping from falling thirty metres towards the ground. Ichigo ripped his blade free and with another roar – from both him and the tree – he sunk it deep into the creature forehead once again, that was the final strike needed to send it caressing into oblivion, sending both the shinigami and the ancient tumbling through the air, the latter still wailing his sword at the tree face. Ichigo pulled his blade free and he was now holding on for dear life as he thrashed about against the change in gravity and the strong rocking motions the ancient body took as it fell, with another shift he sunk his blade into its cheek, and as soon as he did there was a roar. But not from the ancient or the young soul reaper, but the roar of stone and bark shattering, they had landed on top if a large stone mausoleum, the roof shattered and the one wall collapsed, stone and bark being blown away from the impact point that lay within the structure, dust and debris blocked all view of what landed within. For the next few minutes there was no sound, aside from the occasional shifting of stone as more fell from the roof and the last of the fallen wall fell away, but then through it all a small pile of rubble shifted and something began to claw its way out.

Soon a hand shot out from the rocks and then a head of orange, which pulled himself from the rocks and took in a deep breath of fresh air, he stayed there for a moment before pulling his other hand free and then lifting himself out of the mound of stone. As he freed himself from his rocky prison he took in the destruction around him, he saw on the far side of the building was the remains of the tree; its body leaned against a fallen pillar, which showed off the damage that had been inflicted upon its form. One arm had been completely severed from its body, it now laid a few feet from the rest of its body, its two legs had been shattered to splinters, and only chunks of its legs could be seen among the ruins of this once solid and likely beautiful building. It face had been torn apart beyond recognition, much of the bark and the surface had been removed revealing the torn and splintered wood beneath, whether this was caused by the fall or by Ichigo was not known for certain. And the weapon that had caused it now lay imbedded in its forehead, stealing whatever light peaked through the now exposed roof, if Ichigo didn't need Zangetsu, this would have been a pretty awesome place to leave his blade as some form of monument of victory.

Limping down from the mound of dirt he moved towards the now dead tree, it was almost laughable that he was killed by a tree, if anyone heard about how he killed a walking tree that nearly crushed him, well they would think him a fool who took too much of something. He climbed up the back of the fallen tree until he was on top of its head, he grabbed hold of Zangetsu and with some effort he pulled it free, sadly the change in resistance made him tumble backwards on off the head and down its body before impacting the stone floor. For that small amount of time Ichigo had some peace, he fell unconscious for only a few moments, which was more rest then he had in the last four days, constantly fighting and running had done its toll on him and he was at the point where he would simply give up and just drop right then and there and rest. But when he awoke and heard the guttural sounds of something's nearby, well better find somewhere better to sleep, be begrudgingly got to his feet and waddled/ran to the exit, hoping to escape this place and find somewhere more civilised to rest.

Sadly the only civilised place seemed to be that city, for when he finally escaped it he was no in the wilderness of some unknown forest, which contains all assortments of animals and plant life that would likely be the end of him. Ichigo was panting and sweeting up a river, the overcast not helping in the slightest with the heat and humidity, he had been travelling for what seemed like hours, and he couldn't tell anymore if it had been one hour or one minute, his entire world was spinning. After his little fight that that tree monster he had found a large enough opening in the far outer wall for him to walk out, but then he had to traverse this god forsaken jungle and the worst part was that he was calming down and therefor the adrenaline was starting to wear off and the exhaustion he was experiencing before returned tenfold.

He had no idea where he was, he had been travelling through the wilds for some time, but with his vision as it is along with his mental and physical fatigue he was in no shape to figure out where he was, he just wanted to collapse and go to sleep, he didn't care if he slept in mud at least that was cool and soft. But from what he knew this was not the place to let your guard down, he could hear wolves and bears in the distance and other things he could not match to any animal he knew, and based on what he has seen as of late, he wasn't going to guess what else could be out here; this was something he had no idea on how to comprehend.

First he ends up in some sort of hellish dimension that is inhabited by demons, which seems to not co-exist with the normal world as the law of physics seem to not work there, and then he is brought to this place and from what he could make out, this place was all kinds of fucked up. He actually watched a bunch of elves use magic to fight off a giant two headed demon dog and a very devil-like vampire, then he is attacked by a creature that is made out of wind and lightning, and finally as he is escaping he is assaulted by a moving tree. But he knew for a fact that he was not on earth or soul society or even Heuco Mundo, he could be anywhere, some sort of dimension where all those fairy tales from the dark ages came from, this had to be some sort of cruel joke, the end up in some sort of wonderland filled with demons and elves and magic.

Then there were his powers, he was completely drained that was true, but still he shouldn't be, he had been travelling for some time now, he should have at least regained some of his strength, but he hasn't. He could sense or feel and reiatsu in the world around him, there was nothing, which was bad, that meant that he had to allow his body to recover it naturally, and if he was as drained as he was now, then there was no telling on how long it could take before it returned to full strength. His Reiryoku had been drained completely and with no spiritual particles in the air or world then it could take who knows how long for him to recover, even if he sleep it off it could take months still, this wasn't good, not good at all. But there had to be something here they were using for their spells and that energy creature, it absorbed energy, including some of his reiatsu, so that meant that there had to be a similar energy source around here that he could use. But what could it be, was it the same as that energy that saturated that amphitheatre? If so then how could he harness it? And could it be used to send him back to where he came from? As he asked himself these questions he heard tapping. Stopping for a moment he looked around slowly, his weary eyes looking for anything that may have caused that noise, but he saw nothing, he then looked down to see some stone beneath his feet, which in fact was a rundown but serviceable road.

He had found a road, thank Kami for that, he looked down at it and could see the faint outlines of hoof and shoe prints that were imprinted in the dirt alongside the pavers, obviously people had passed through here, he looked at the direction and saw that they were moving westwards, he gazed down the road and could barely see anything a few metres ahead of him without it getting blurry. Sighing he walked down the path, taking slow and heavy steps, all the while keeping himself from falling on his face, but after the drain on his Reiryoku from his fights and the fatigue of travelling without rest, he was fighting a losing battle. For what seemed like hours could have only been just a few minutes, his eyes kept bugging out and his mind was playing tricks on him, he was seeing and hearing things, first he thought he saw a hollow and then he though he heard maniacal laughter.

"Good Bye Shinigami!" he heard from behind, he looked over his shoulder and saw nothing but forest and the paved road he had been travelling for god known how long. He turned back and he thought he saw someone ahead of him, he could barely make out who it was, and he stopped and did what little he could to ready himself for a fight.

"Kurasaki-Kun" whispered the definitely female voice, he looked on and tried to discern who she was, how she knew his name, she wore white form fitting clothing; she was shorter than him and had long flowing burnt orange hair.

"Orihime?" Ichigo said in shock, she looked up at him, he couldn't see her face, but he did see the hand that was reaching out for him, she was here, she needed to be saved.

"Kurasaki-Kun" she whispered again, Ichigo increased his pace and reached out to her with his free hand, but even with every step he took he couldn't reach here, he moved faster, trying to reach her, trying to save her, but still she was out of his grasp. With every step he took words bombarded him, taunting him, unnerving him, his heart beating all the harder, while his body protested with intense pain, and trying to force him to stop his foolishness.

"Too slow" he was being taunted at, the same words as the Quinto, Orihime started to drift away faster. Ichigo ran faster, trying to catch up to her retreating figure. Eventually he fell over, his foot catching a slightly raised piece of stone in the road, he slammed into the ground and felt his head connect with the stone, as he lifted himself up he felt blood flow down his face and over his eye.

But as he looked up Orihime had stopped and was standing there looking at him, then another shadow appeared behind her, the shape and appearance could only match that of one person the Quinto espada, his crescent axe in hand, a sneering smile on his face and his single eye boring into him.

"No! Don't touch her!" Ichigo screamed as he fought to get to his feet to protect Orihime, but still his body protested, trying to make him understand that he cannot keep doing this, but his mind screamed for him to get up and fight.

"Just what makes you think you can stop me!" he taunted, the same smug smile on his face as always, he raised his leg and then kicked Orihime in the back, she screamed as she hit the hard earth with an audible thud, Ichigo's heart wrenched itself at the sight, beating all that faster, he tried desperately to stand and rush to her defence.

"Leave her alone or I'll make you!" screamed Ichigo, he was not on his knees and still trying to get to his feet, using both hands and Zangetsu he was able to stand up, but only just, a single shift in his weight and he would fall to the ground.

"How? How will you stop me?" the Quinto asked in a smug tone, then he raised his axe the intension behind this action clear in the souls reapers mind, Ichigo's eyes widened and then with what was left of his strength he moved forward. He took long strides and reared back his sword, the Quinto made no move to stop or dodge the attack, and when Ichigo swung Zangetsu at the Espada, his bladed passed through him as if he was air. "Trying again you loser"

Ichigo tumbled forward and fell on his face again, pain and exhaustion taking holds in equal measure, he lifted himself to his hands and knees and tried to stand up again, he looked over his shoulder to see the Quinto looking down on him with contempt. Ichigo matched his stare with one of anger and resolve, he wouldn't allow him to hurt her, and he would fight with everything he had to make sure she was safe.

"Why don't you give up?" he said, before turning around and moving back to the grovelling Orihime, Ichigo's eyes widened at what he was going to do, he raised his crescent axe overhead and stopped a few feet from her.

"NO! Leave Orihime alone!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, now it's your turn" the Quinto spoke down to the frightened Orihime, she looked on in horror at the large axe that was above her, ready to be brought down to obliterate her, she turned towards Ichigo and screamed her final words to him before the axe descended.

"Ichigo!" she screamed, tears in her eyes along with fear, the one she called to matched that fear, he watched helplessly as the axe came down on top of her, then, just as the axe was to make contact and she was about to meet her end, they were gone, they disappeared without a trace, nothing there but him. He was kneeling there facing towards where he last saw them, remembering that fearful face and weepy eye, the image haunting him; he looked around desperately, trying to look for them, to see if it was not an illusion, to see if she was alright, to see that it wasn't true. But there was no nothing for him to see, it was just the road, he looked around and was surprised to see the ocean in the distance, and that he was on a stone bridge connecting a gap over a waterfall, the fear that he felt disappeared, replaced with grief and despair, he was not supposed to be here, he was meant to be in Heuco Mundo. He was meant to be there so that he could rescue her from Aizen, he was meant to go in and save her from the Espada, he wasn't supposed to lose, he couldn't lose, but now he was in some unknown land with only a few second left of consciousness before he finally keels over.

She was never meant to be a part of this, she should still be going to school and learning, she should be back home cooking her strange cuisines, she should be with Tatsuki and having fun with her life rather than fighting hollows and getting involved with soul society, she shouldn't have been kidnapped and forced into serving Aizen. He looked down to the water below, his visions turning for the worst, his body finally giving in to all the pain and fatigue, he swayed lightly from side to side, his vision slowly blurring and then consumed by darkness every few second before it returned, there was little point in fighting it anymore. He had enough, he just wanted it to end so that he could forget about it, as his vision darkened, he heard something off in the distance, the sound of someone calling out to him, but he couldn't make out what was being said.

He looked to his right and saw someone approaching, he could barely make out the shadow of who it was, but he could see he was moving quickly towards him, then his vision faded once more, darkness took him and the next time he woke up he was weightless. He opened his eyes to see water particles falling past him and the bridge he was on overhead, and it was moving away from him quickly, he had fallen from the bridge and was going to fall within the river below, even though he would be fearful for his life, he couldn't even muster the strength to do that. The shadow of the man who was moving towards him peaked over the side of the bridge, he couldn't make out anything about him, and then his vision turned black again.

He awoke only for a moment when his body connected with the water, he could feel himself being dragged beneath the surface and then pulled out to sea, he lost consciousness many times throughout that, but one caught his attention more than anything. He saw a large splash and then many bubbled, he didn't know what it was at first; and then he felt something grab hold of his arm and pulled him against the current, he could make out a large gauntlet around his arm, and then he felt air rush into his lungs as he was pulled above the surface. Then his vision darkened once more, he awoke one last time to see a large shadow looming over him, he couldn't see it clearly but he could see two large protrusions on what he could only assume was his head, and he heard a hard gravelly voice say to him.

"Don't worry young one, you are safe now." Those were the last words he heard before darkness took him completely.

* * *

**There you have it, my second chapter, Ichigo is on Azeroth, he is dealing with elves, demons and very angry wood (lol wood) and who is this mysterious stranger, maybe you will find out in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 02: The World of Warcraft

**Hello Everyone I am Back, I have a few things I need to tell you before we get on with the square dancing.**

**The first thing is my main story, Lords of Warcraft, I am going to be temporarily putting it on hold to make up for the change in the direction it will be taking, based on the votes I have been given, it will be taking a very different turn. Also the Voting Poll will end on the 22****nd**** February.**

**Now onto my second announcement, I have a new Beta reader, he is a great guy, he's also Russia, and based off his picture is a mean spirited son-of-a-bitch who takes crap from no one, and maybe has a lot of gun like a certain Russia superstar of Youtube. That would be awesome. His name is Zaralann, and he will be editing and reviewing my work before it goes out to the public, also he is the reviewer and helper who made this chapter, so any thanks and good jobs you send my way be sure to send his.**

**Now on with the Reviews.**

**Zaralann: You should know, you're my Beta reader silly *Pulls out an SAIGA-12 FULLY AUTOMATIC SHOTGUN* Okay now calm down, I didn't mean anything by it.**

**Rodmus87: yeah I had a lot of motivation *Zaralann cocks his gun* Russian's what a hoot!**

**Fraiku: Good to hear**

**IchigoMoonCutter: Yeah, he doesn't know the meaning of quit, just going onto you hit that wall and then running into it over and over again until he gets through, then hits another wall and tries to walk around, and finds a door, buts its locked, so *I feel a cold barrel again my neck* I be quit now.**

**Ultima-owner: Yes, but wood is not the only thing that is always angry, sometimes you get happy wood, LOL.**

**Tundrafire: Glad you like it**

**Saddas74: That's right, in this story I want to build Ichigo into a man, not a young man with ideal yet limits in his perceptions, such as killing, he would never kill someone, and even though he strikes to kill he doesn't want to kill. He will eventually have to learn with the fact that he will have to kill in order to survive and for others to as well, that is how this story will progress. Him growing into a warrior, not just one who sheds blood but also someone who knows when to kill and when not to.**

**Leapinglemur: Actually that 'asshat' you were referring to didn't actually throw him off the bridge, he was actually trying to stop him from falling into the water, and he was the one who saved him by pulling him free. As for it getting better, you better believe it mate.**

**Greivergf: well, you may be interested in this chapter, as it introduces a very frisky little minx that will be a main in this story, as for a possibly love interest, I'll make a poll one day and put a couple things up. Personally I was thinking maybe a death knight or something, don't know exactly, but we'll see where it goes.**

**Guest: My man, what LvL are you, Are you Horde or Alliance, do you have a Pandaran?**

**NIX'S WARDEN: I am thinking on what type of armour I will give him, but for now he will be scraping things together, such as armour and trinkets in order to get by, but when the Burning Crusade starts, he will eventually get an armour set, and for each expansion he will get a new one. As for the Black Iron Armour, I don't know, a skirt, doesn't seem like Ichigo to me, maybe a tabard or waistcloth, that's looks more his style.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 02: Welcome to the World of Warcraft?**

The first thing he felt when he woke up was pain, not intense burning pain like when recovering from a stab wound or cut, but pain from stiff and aching muscles, he couldn't remember how he ended up like this. He was in Heuco Mundo and he was fighting Grimmjow, he won… Then that Espada came along. He couldn't beat him and then, when he was done, he threw Ichigo through a portal... Realization dawned on Ichigo, he was thrown through a portal and ended up in some _Hell_ dimension and was fighting against _demons_ and other unholy creatures. And then he was fighting some sort of vampire/Satan thing. Then it was all such a blur, he was in some sort of city, and then he was in a fight with some tree... After beating it he was able to escape. He went through the forest and then he remembered that Espada and Orihime, he killed her… No, it was a hallucination.

She wasn't dead, she couldn't be, they needed her, and if he could just get out of here he could return there and bring her back, he needed to get home, he had to get back so that he could save Orihime, he needed to stop Aizen, and he needed to get out of here!

"Ah, I see your awake, good." A softly spoken voice was heard off to the side. Ichigo whipped his head around, and paid for this when he felt his muscles burn from the rapid action. He squinted and tried to deal with the pain. "Do try not to move too much. You're in no shape to move a finger at the moment."

Ichigo opened his eyes and saw a woman kneeling next to his bed, but it wasn't the normal run of the mill woman he had met before. This woman may be human in shape but she wasn't part of the same species, the purple tanned skin, long ears and glowing eyes made that very apparent. She wore robes of brown, black and gold which stretched down to her ankles, also she had long green hair that hung freely and blue tattoos over her eyes. And from what he could make out she was tending his wounds, odd cloth wrappings covered the majority of his body.

"You're lucky to be alive, had the sentinels not found you on their return here, you would likely have died. You were heavily wounded and were suffering from severe dehydration and malnutrition." Said the unknown _elven_ woman, which Ichigo was staring at with wide eyes and a slight gaping mouth. Which she took notice of and stared at him oddly "What?"

"What are you?" Ichigo asked, clearly not having a clue what she was.

"I'm a Night Elf, I would think you would at least know about us, after all we're allies are we not?" She asked, only for Ichigo to stare at her still, almost in disbelief of what he was looking at. "Please stop looking at me like that."

"Uh, sorry..." He said, turning his head away and shutting his mouth.

He calmed himself down and looked around. He could see he was in a large room, it looked like the entire thing had been made of wood, no brick or mortar could be seen, many colors, brown, purple, blue and green all enriched the room with an almost natural design. He could see a large balcony on the other side of the room that looked over a large forested region, he could also hear the ocean and the people, he must have come across a town, filled with Night Elves, and he was still trying to wrap his head around that.

"Hey, can you tell me who you are and where I am?" Ichigo asked.

The woman looked up from redoing his bandages and smiled at him kindly before replying.

"My name is Shyria. I am the Inn Keeper within this place, which is known as Feathermoon Stronghold." Replied Inn Keeper Shyria.

To which Ichigo was even more confused, _where_ the hell was he?

* * *

Ichigo had been left alone for the better part of the day, only visited by the Inn Keeper and another elven man to help with his healing, which was surprising, when he healed him, he didn't just feel his wounds and bruises being healed but also felt his body being rejuvenated. He asked him how he did that and he chuckled and said he was a Druid, which by his accounts sounded like the most obvious thing in the world, and the world he was on right now was _not_ Earth or Soul Society or Heuco Mundo, which was bad, _very_ bad.

If he was no longer on earth or anywhere near it then it was likely he was on some god forsaken planet stuck in the middle ages, but based off the attire and the fact everything was made of wood meant that he was likely in a place where metal crafting didn't exist yet. But they could use 'magic' it would seem, which may be a good thing, if they can heal his wounds and rejuvenate his body then they may be able to send him back, he needed to talk with someone about this.

Orihime, Chad, Rukia, Nel, Renji, Ishida... They were all in danger, he had to get back, there was _nothing_ else to think about. Once he healed up and was able to walk he would head out and see if he could find someone to help him with his problem.

There had to be someone here that could help him. After all when he was in that ruins those people looked like they had knowledge on the supernatural. After all they had a massive _demon_ imprisoned in their city, so they must know about where they come from and know how to _get_ there.

Though the idea of traveling through that place didn't exactly sound like the perfect plan for him it was the only one he had, he had to get back there and try to find a way back through, it was the only way he knew that could take him back to earth.

But before he could think any more on this he felt fatigue kick in again. He was always tired, he could only stay up for an hour or two before going back to sleep. Even he couldn't understand _why_ he couldn't remain awake, but there was someone who did.

* * *

"Is he a demon?" Asked Shyria, referring to Ichigo who was resting within the room just off to the side.

They had been treating him for the last four days now. At first it was only treatment with magically imbued bandages, but now they were treating him with the restorative abilities of the Druids.

"No, he is human, but he carries a demonic taint on him." replied Quintis Jonespyre, Druid of the Cenarian Circle.

He had long outlandish green hair and a beard to match, he wore simple green and brown shirt and pants.

"A Warlock then, they aren't uncommon amongst the human race." That was true, Warlocks usually have a demonic taint on them due to siphoning power from the twisted nether in order to increase the power of their abilities and his robes, may not be intimidating ,they were black. Most Warlocks preferred black or purple, don't know why, they just did.

"No this is different, he has the taint of being in contact with a demon or demons, but there is another force that seems to exist within him, a part of his being if you will." Replied Quintis. He was very fascinated with this man's condition. He appeared human yet he possessed a demonic signature, he had studies and examined him very closely since them. "While I was healing his wounds, I tried to see what the cause of it was, and I found that it was similar to Mana fatigue."

"If he can harness Mana, then he must be a sorcerer of some kind..."

"Yes, but when I tried to restore it, his body rejected it, it took it in and as time went it rejected it, almost as if it was some foreign disease."

That was very odd, every single person has some amount of Mana in their system. Only those who have a greater concentration in their body are able to manipulate it and use it. But this boy had a completely different signature than to everyone else, almost like he was born stagnant, but he was born with something else, but the things was, though it may appear demonic and foreign in nature, there was something about it that made it almost familiar to the green haired Druid.

"So, if it isn't Mana, then what is it?"

"I do not know." Was all Quintis could say.

As they were speaking the two were approached by a third person.

She had long blue hair that was tied into a pony tail and wore a form fitting purple and blue armor, her glowing eyes scanned the room and the door that led to the person the other two elves were conversing over.

"What have you found out about our guest?" Said the unknown third speaker.

"Nothing much, but he says his name is Ichigo." Shyria said.

"An odd name, even for a human..."

"True, he appears to be suffering from fatigue, more accurately Mana Fatigue, but it isn't Mana that he needs." Replied Quintis.

"Then what does he need?" Both of them could only shrug before Quintis replied again.

"I cannot say, but I think with some more treatment I can have his body substitute the required source of power with that of Mana, and then he may start to recover his strength."

"Not just yet, we don't know what he is capable of yet, let us wait for him to recover on his own, and _then_ we will see." Said the woman wish a wave of her hand.

She had no idea what this person was and the last thing she needed while dealing with the Hatecrest Naga was an unknown being within her domain without letting it get stronger.

"Yes, Shandris." They both said.

* * *

_Three Days Later_

* * *

Ichigo finally was able to get out of bed, he had been cooped up in there for nearly a week.

They said that they found him six days ago on the road covered in cuts and bruises and surprisingly soaked. They also said that he had been bandaged up with rags before he came here. This meant that _someone_ had saved him before he came here, and from what he could remember it was likely that shadow on the bridge and the one who pulled him from the river that saved his life.

When they brought him here they said he was not only suffering from physical exhaustion but also Mana Fatigue, which they explained was a lack of energy. He understood them perfectly, his Reiatsu was nearly all gone and was trying to make up for that.

It had taken nearly three days for it to get to a level where he could walk again, but even so he was still not walking right. His feet kept getting caught on risen pieces of dirt and rock on the road, nearly making him fall to the ground in a heap. They hadn't returned Zangetsu to him though, that he could understand, after all these people probably didn't know who he was or if he was part of that Alliance they were talking about.

He would need to ask a few questions to know what's going on around here.

As he was walking he could see dozens of trees and many houses across the small isle. This place looked more like a village rather than some sort of military stronghold, but from the size of the army here they make up for it with numbers rather than defenses.

He could see over a hundred female warriors in armor and holding a three prong glaives in hands, but he also noticed that many of them were casting glances at him as he walk by, and some he saw them sneer and narrow their eyes at him.

What the hell was their problem? What had he done to them? He pushed it to back of his mind for now, he needed to find out where he was and for that to work he needed to find someone to talk to that could answer his questions and be straight with him. Where was he going to find someone like that, this entire place was full of civilians and by the looks of it, soldiers that would like nothing more than to stick him like pig and hang his carcass from one of the trees. Where was he going to find someone to speak with?

* * *

"What? These prices are ridiculous! How can I afford my way back home when you make these ridiculous prices?" Shouted an unknown woman to Ichigo's right.

She looked like she was arguing with a human merchant, over animal skins.

"Adelina, you know full well that this is the set price, it's not my fault you can't afford them." Said the merchant, crossing his arms over his chest and not backing down in his resolve.

"But... But this is _unfair_, how am I supposed to get money together to get back home, when I can't make any money if you keep upping your prices?!" She whined at the merchant.

She looked up at the sky while her shoulder slump, she was in a bind.

"Hey, I give you supplies so you can do your business and besides… It's your own fault you're here, from what you told me you got lost while in Stonetalon Mountains! How the hell did you get across the Desolace and here is beyond me!" He retorted back at her, at which she pouted at before turning on her heels and marching off like a temperamental child.

Ichigo found it a little funny; he cracked a smirk before he continued on his way.

* * *

He walked around the stronghold for a while, looking at the sights or better lack of. There wasn't much to this place other than a stronghold meant to keep an eye on the place, which was odd, and there wasn't really anything here to keep an eye on. All he could see were a couple of buildings and a few stores that seems only to exist to equip and feed the soldiers here, while everyone else seemed to either be passing through or just living here on their own volition.

He sat near the docks a looked out over the ocean as the sun began its descend over the horizon. He could only think about home, how he was stuck here, could he return home? Was he stuck in this fantasy world? Would everyone be alright without him?

"You alright, young man?"

Ichigo turned to look up to see a large Night Elf looking down at him. He could see through his hard face that he was actually looking down at him with some concern. He wore shorts and suspenders, and stunk of fish and the sea. He was likely a fisherman or sold seafood.

Ichigo nodded to him before turning back to the ocean.

"I have a lot on my mind." Said Ichigo

"Don't we all? What is it that weighs so heavy on your shoulders that you cannot keep your own head up?"

"My friends and family back home... I miss them, I'm worried about them, I don't know if their alright or not."

"I see, being away from one's home is hard, especially for someone so young, adventuring may sound fun but once you start you begin to realize what you left behind."

"You sound like you speak of experience."

"I once lived in a place known as the Grove of Cenarius. For so long I had only memories of its beauty, my wife and daughter remained there while I slept." He said his voice sombre. Even though Ichigo knew not what the Elf meant when he said _'slept'_, he could only assume that he was probably on some sort of journey somewhere or was in some kind of coma. "I could remember its verdant meadows and the bubbling streams ran through them. The leafy corridors of the forest rang out with the music of songbirds. It was as close to a paradise as the world has ever known."

Ichigo smiled at the description he gave his home, it did sound like a paradise, but from the way he spoke of it made it seemed like nothing more than a faded memory, his words were in past tense, something must have happened to his home.

"I was not there when the Burning Legion corrupted it, giving it the name that it is now known for today: Felwood. I was still within the dream when it transpired, and when I did awake and made a journey to my former home I found only smoldering ruins, completely destroyed. My village, my friends, my family..."

Ichigo put a hand on his shoulder, sympathizing with the man, he knew what it was like to lose family, he had lost his mother when he was nine years old, the pain and misery he felt from it was impossible to describe.

"I lost my mother to a monster when I was young, right before my eyes." Said Ichigo, when the Elf looked at him. He didn't see pity or sadness in his eyes, he saw a determined look in them, as if her death, though sad, gave him purpose. "I was a wreck, she was everything to me, when I lost her I didn't know how to go on, but it was my dad who made me realize, that I still had him and my sisters. It was then that I decided that I would live up to the name that my mother gave me, that I would protect everyone precious to me, no matter what. I would not allow them to be hurt, that what my name is means 'He who protects'. I will live up to that name, and make sure no one harm my friends, my family, the innocent, that is who I am, and who I will always be."

"You're a good kid, you will go far in this world, I can see it in your eyes, you will make a difference here." Said the fisherman, before shaking his hand in a more formal greeting. "My name is Harklane Renferal, former Druid of the Cenarian Circle."

"Ichigo Kurosaki." replied the young soul reapers with a small smile.

* * *

Ichigo walked into the Inn just as the rain began to fall from the sky, the sun was already passing over the horizon and the sun's rays creating an orange radiance over the ocean.

As he entered Ichigo saw the Inn was packed with many people. Some of which were soldiers, who were sitting at the many tables and having a meal and drink while chatting to one another. He decided to call it a day and go to his room, as he did he spotted the Inn Keeper behind a counter, he sent her a wave as he passed and continued on.

Shyria sent a wave back and watched the young man go back up to his room. She could see as he walked up several of the sentinels eyes him suspiciously, she wasn't surprised that Shandris would post several guard to make sure that their latest acquisition wasn't a threat, but come on, _ten_ seemed a bit extreme. He was only a young man, if he did pose a threat one should be able to overpower him and subdue him before he caused any harm. She was hoping that is what they were order to do, just subdue him, of the times she did speak with him he seemed disheartened.

Maybe the reason behind how he ended up here was the cause of his mood? He did tell them that he was attacked, but he didn't elaborate nor did they ask him to, he was starting to recover which could be both bad and good. If anything was to go by how the sentinels acted around him. She could tell that they thought of him as a demon or at least a user of demonic energy, but from what Quintis said he wasn't a demon and the taint seemed to be only from short term contact with demons, and his energy which was starting to reassert itself was becoming easier for him to read. It seems that though there appears to be demonic energy within him it is only an illusion, it feels dark but in truth it's just _denser_ than regular Mana, like steel being denser than bronze, which was the only difference really along with the makeup of the energy, which he was still trying to discern.

* * *

_The Next Day_

* * *

It was early morning for Adelina as she woke up to begin her daily grind.

She ran her hands through her long blue hair and rugged her eyes with her palm to remove the dreariness from them, before getting dressed in her slightly ragged robes, which was the only set of clothing she had at the moment. She got dressed and looked herself in the mirror, taking a long good look at her face to see if there was anything on it that covered her markings. But like always it was clean and with her appearance complete she went off to do her job.

She worked as an apprentice Leatherworker in Feathermoon Stronghold. She would help supply the sentinel army that was stationed here with quivers, armor and scabbards, and for her work she would be paid. But in order to make her wares she had to buy from that damn, greedy human. He was the worst, he would charge her outrageous prices, she could barely make a profit, what money she had left was put into getting back home.

It wasn't her fault that while she was walking she ended up in the Charred Valley, and then was attacked by harpies and fire elementals until she ended up in Desolace. Then after being chased by those centaurs across the entire desert she was saved by a large Orc with a bear. But she knew better to stay and thank him and ran for it, and that was her undoing.

She ended up in the middle of jungle... It was damp, hot and raining, and it was still hot even though it was raining!

How did this happen?

She was supposed to be training to be a great Druid and now she was stuck here in the middle of nowhere forced to work in menial labor. She wished she could go home or at least go on some adventure somewhere, but everyone thought she was an idiot... She wasn't an idiot, she could do things, in fact with her Leatherworking she would put in decorations to show off how good she was. Some had a bear, others had a stag and one had a cute rabbit on it, she could see on the surprised faces of the sentinels who took them up. She knew that they liked them and that they would flaunt her wares to all and then more people would come and she could sell faster and get out of here.

Just as she was leaving the Inn and moving off to her stall she saw something near the shore.

It looked like bubbles.

Odd, why were there bubbles coming out of the water, was someone swimming? That sounded like a good idea. She could use a cold splash on her face to wake her up, as she walked over to the shoreline she cupped some water in her hands and splashed it onto her face, as she did she felt her entire body get soaked in water. She opened her eyes to see what happened and when she did she saw the large shadowy form of something in front of her. She looked up to see a large green reptilian body and a snakelike head looking down at her.

She was looking up at a Naga.

"Eh!" Was all she said before the Naga tried to skewer her with his trident.

She leaped away with an 'eek!' before she turned and ran off like a panther, though she was a Druid it didn't occur to her to _shift_ into one. She kept running while behind her a large force of Naga emerged from the sea and made their way onto land, leading them was the same one that tried to kill the young Druid.

He raised his trident and bellowed to his warriors.

"Slay them all, claim this isle in the name of Lord Shalzara!" Came the wet guttural words from the creatures throat, which resounding with a cheer of hisses and laughs, before dozens more began to emerge from the deeps of the water.

* * *

Shandris Feathermoon rushed to her balcony to see her stronghold under attack. A small raiding party of Hatecrest Naga coming over the channel between Sandor Isle and the Isle of Dread. She cursed under her breath before she turned and grabbed her bow. She rushed from her room and to the ground where all the sentinels were fighting back against the Naga invaders. She could already smell the blood in the air and the sound of her sisters fighting and shedding blood to defend their home. Both theirs blood and the Naga's.

"Sister, fight by my side." She said as she rushed out of the tower and released an arrow from its notch, sinking it into one of the eyes of a nearby Naga.

She drew another and ducked under a swipe from a spear. With the newly drawn arrow she stabbed the serpent in the neck. It dropped its weapon and both its hand went to its jugular to stop the bleeding. It gurgled on its own blood trying to breath. She pulled her arrow free and used it to kill another Naga, piercing its heard and sending it to the ground with a heavy thud.

She looked over to see her sentinels were fighting hard to push them back, but still the enemy was coming in from the ocean.

They needed to find their leader and put an end to him.

She pulled three arrows from her quiver and took aim, in a second they were notch back and she had already calculated the trajectory of each arrow. She released them and all the arrows sailed through the air and struck a different target each. Two Naga warriors and a Siren fell to the ground dead, arrows piercing their chests. She turned to the warriors behind her and motioned the into combat. She charged into the fray with little worry and at point blank range she dispatched more of the foul serpent searching for their leader.

* * *

Ichigo woke to the sounds of battle and fighting. He quickly got up from his bed and saw a massive battle going on through the entire stronghold, the sentinels were fighting against these large green skinned serpents, and from the looks of it there were a lot of dying people down there. He quickly turned around and rushed to the door. He had to get Zangetsu back and help, he was strong enough that he should be able to at least lend a hand, whether they like it or not, he was in as much danger as they were. He grabbed hold of the knob and opened it quickly, he rushed out and down the hall, and when he looked down from the balcony he saw that everyone inside was being backed into a corner by those serpents. The two sentinels were outnumbered six to one. He needed to find Zangetsu, but before he could even begin he saw one of the sentinels charge in to meet them head on her Glaive drawn back and ready to rend flesh.

* * *

She was able to duck under the first ones thrust and cut deep into its stomach area, but the second one was able to clip her at the leg and knock her onto her back, she looked up to see a pike ready to skewer he through the chest, she gritted her teeth and waited for the end. But what came next was a complete surprise to everyone, for instead of her being killed, the Naga had its head knocked in by a sandal foot to the side of its face, flying through the air was the young human boy wearing tatter black baggy clothing. He kicked the Naga warrior up the side of the head and knocked it out along with some teeth. As he landed he turned to the other Naga and readied himself when they attacked.

The first thrust its spear at him, but he ducked under it easily, and then, in a show of strength and martial prowess, the young human moved under the Naga's guard, grabbed hold of his arm and then flipped it over him and onto its head, knocking it out like the first. It lay there next to her and she could only gape at the strength this young human possessed, she quickly got to her feet and tried to resume the fight.

* * *

Ichigo turned to see another spear coming at him. He leaned to the side to avoid it, it passed by his head by a few inches, and then he stepped forward and punched to Naga in the gut, it lurched forward and spat up a wad of saliva and mucus. Ichigo was about to finish him off when he was attacked by another.

The pike shot forward to pierce his heart, he leaped away from the weapon and the dazed Naga, which put him in the sights of another. Before he could react he was struck by its long snake-like tale, he felt the air rushed out of his lungs as he was sent sailing across the room and towards the huddling crowd. As he got to his hands and knees Shyria tried to help him to his feet, luckily he wasn't hurt that bad. He felt himself lurch but he luckily only had the air knocked out of him, he looked to the Inn Keeper and asked the only thing he needed.

"Where is my sword?"

"It's behind the counter." She replied, lifting him to his feet, and once that was done she backed off.

He looked at the four remaining Naga who were now waiting for them to make the move. Ichigo turned to the two sentinels who were facing down the Naga warriors with grim determination, he walked up beside them.

"Can you give me some time to get my sword?" Ichigo asked, he saw them looked away from the Naga and to the young human, the one he saved had a neutral expression while the other looked appalled by the idea.

"Why should we risk our lives to help you?" She practically spat the words, which didn't affect Ichigo in the slightest, instead he maintained his calm and replied.

"Because if I had my sword them we would have a better chance at killing these things, and that way we all get to survive." He looked at her and though she appeared to be annoyed she nodded none the less to the plan. "Alright, keep them distracted and I'll get my sword."

In an instant all three of them shot forward, the two elven sentinels moving slightly ahead of the soul reaper and engaged the two closest Naga, while Ichigo had to weave between the two others, which readied their weapons to strike.

The first swung his sword at the young human, but it was easily dodged. When he came up behind the first Naga he was beset by the second, who shot his trident at him. Ichigo sidestepped the blow and as he passed the serpent he jabbed him in the side for good measure. It hissed before it swung its weapon around to strike Ichigo as he run past. But on instinct Ichigo ducked under the attack and sprinted towards the counter.

He leaped over the wooden stand and quickly searched for his sword under the counter-top, he didn't have to wait long before he found it. His cleaver-like Zanpakutō resting on the shelf wrapped in a thin white cloth, he grasped the hilt and as he pulled it free a shadow appeared over him, the Naga that he jabbed had followed him and had its spear overhead in both hands, leaping to the side he narrowly dodged the attack that shattered the bench and ground where he was once crouching.

Rolling back into a crouch he leaped onto the counter and charged at the Naga, the cloth around his blade unwrapping itself from around the blade. He gripped his sword in both hands and swung it at the Naga, who quickly raised his spear to block the attack. The two metals connected to one another with a brilliant show of sparks and screeching as the two metals slid against one another. The Naga threw away the blade and swung his pike in a wide arc at the Shinigami.

Ichigo brought up his blade and blocked the strike, using his forearm as a rest for the blunt side of his sword to hold back the weapon. Ichigo gritted his teeth as the Naga continued to try and pushed the little human away, but Ichigo didn't budge an inch, instead he angled his blade so that the pike slid off along the surface before sliding off the blade entirely. As the spear shot forward without resistance so did its wielder. When this happened Ichigo countered, swinging his sword at the serpent's exposed side, cutting deep into its waistline area. It roared in pain before trying to retaliate, with one hand it swung its spear at Ichigo again, but instead of being met by the blade it was halted by the young Shinigami's hand.

Ichigo had turned and grabbed hold of the spear along the shaft with his left hand, he then twisted around and with his blade on his right hand did a one eighty before swinging his sword up in an upward arc, cutting a fatal wound into the Naga's exposed chest. It let out a watery gurgle before falling onto its back dead.

Ichigo turned to the last three Naga, he saw two on a single sentinel, she was struggling to deflect their attacks. Thinking quickly he twisted the spear in his left hand and readied it like a javelin and threw it with all his might at the closest of the two, it hits its mark dead center of the serpents back. It let out a shriek of pain before the sentinel changed it to a gurgle by slitting its throat. Ichigo then charge in his blade dragging along the floor as he charged; the Naga had only enough time to turn around before he was impaled, the blade sticking through his chest.

Ichigo started to turn away from the second Naga, while dragging the other that was still impaled on Zangetsu, when he turned ninety degrees he picked up speed and the Naga began to slide of his sword, by the time he did a one eighty the Naga was thrown off and now he was swinging it the other one. It raised its sword in an attempt to stop the attack, but only halted his demise for only a millisecond at most. Naga's blade shattered on contact with the soul cutter, leaving nothing to stop the blade from cutting the defenseless Naga in half, both its arms and body were cut in half, and a moment later all the body part came falling down.

Exhaling a pent up breath Ichigo rested his Zanpakutō on his shoulder and looked at the carnage around him. No one was hurt, except some of the people were shocked at his display of swordsmanship with such a large weapon, they didn't think someone so young could be so strong. He didn't pay much attention to them before he turned around, there was still a battle going on outside and he could hear the clash of steel and the sound of blood being spilled. He gritted his teeth and turned to the two sentinels, who were just as aware as he was, without a word they ran out of the Inn and towards the battle.

* * *

Shandris sent another Naga to his death, an arrow lodged in his heart. They were starting to turn the tide, the enemy may be large in number but they were not coordinating their attack. Their leader may not be rallying them to the fight but he also didn't allow them to falter. So if she found him and sunk an arrow through his heart then they could force these serpents back into the depths from where they came.

But finding him was difficult, she saw no one that stood out amongst the lot and neither had any of her warriors. She stepped back as a bolt of frost veered towards her, intent on impaling her head; she turned to see a Siren snarling at her. Shandris pulled out an arrow and shot it towards the foul creature, but as expected from the siren she encased herself in a magical shield of arcane energy. She had to get close then, but the witch had a staff in her two upper arms along with two daggers in her lower ones, she would be difficult to defeat without injury.

Charging at the sea-witch Shandris drew another arrow and fired it at the serpent. As expected the arrows were blocked by a shield of arcane energy, harnessing her bow she drew her short sword, as the arcane shield dropped Shandris was already upon her, acting quickly she approached one side and went for her upper arm.

The blade cut through the Naga's flesh as easy it did the air. The Siren howled in pain and tried to retaliate but Shandris was not that easily caught off guard, she had her short sword parry the dagger and then leaped away from the sea witch before she could strike again.

If she could remove the other arm then she could easily deal with her at range, but the same tactic does not always work a second time, she looked around to see if there was anything she could use to deal a killing blow, then she noticed something not too far from the witch of the depths. Pulling out her Glaive she threw it at the Naga, and the response was a shield to block the attack. Naga knew what she was planning on doing, going to her second arm and therefor removing her ability to cast any spells to defend herself, she wasn't falling for it a _second_ time.

When the shield appeared she felt the Glaive strike the semi translucent bubble, and from it she could see the Night Elf charging in again. She smiled at this, ready for the attack; her bubble began to fade when she saw the tip of her blade move through the shield. She reared back her daggers and with her staff she deflected the attack before it made its target, then she surged forward ready to eviscerate the Elf, but when she moved out she noticed that the Elf was not there. Instead all that she could see was the spear of one of her fellow Naga begin trusted aside by her staff.

She didn't noticed until it was too late that the Night Elf had used the spear to trick her, by thinking it was the sword she knew that she would deflect it and then try to stab her, but since it was the spear she had move room to maneuver around the sea witches counter. This had her blades extend forward and her staff extended outwards from her body, leaving her vulnerable to attack, which the Night Elf took advantage of but cutting off the second arm with an upward slash, before leaping away from the wounded Siren.

Another roar of pain escaped the serpent's lips before she rounded on the Sentinel General who now had her bow out and an arrow aiming right between her eyes. Naga shrieked as she charged at the Night Elf with little worry now about her life; it was as good as dead already. Shandris let her arrow fly and watched as it pierced the sirens forehead, its stopped momentarily to almost consider what had just happened before it fell back dead. She turned to see the current state of her forces, many were wounded and a few had been killed, but they were holding fast against the Naga onslaught.

As she was surveying the surrounding area she heard a scream that drew her attention, she looked over to see a large green skinned Naga wearing thick plated armor over his torso and head, in his hand was a distorted trident of gold, he was moving along with two other large serpents. It seemed he was moving towards someone, a young Night Elf girl, she knew that one as Adelina.

She was an unfortunate Druid who by means that even she couldn't fathom somehow ended up in the middle of Feralas with no way back home. She had been seen as quite an oddball, especially when it came to her unique leather goods, such as sheathes with pictures on them or leggings and shirts with very odd patterns, which were often very strange and hurt the eyes if you looked at them for too long.

She cursed under her breath, she may be an odd girl but she didn't deserve to die here. She moved to intercept them but from the amount of adversaries between her and them it would be unlikely that she would reach them, just as she was about to move and engage the leader another Naga warrior appeared before her brandishing a sword. She cast one last glance at the leader and saw him raise his sword to finish off the young elf.

Shandris growled, it didn't seem she would be able to saver her, she turned away from the scene before it occurred and focused on her current target, she would avenge her when she faced the Naga. What she didn't see however was the black blur that was charging towards that said Naga.

* * *

Adelina could only look up at the massive green scaled Naga before her in complete and utter terror. She was as good as dead, there was no way she could escape from him, she could only try and crawl away from him but even she knew it was futile. She was going to die here, with no one there to even care that she was gone, two months here and she had nothing to show for it except for a shop full of animal skins and a dream to get as much money together as possible and buy herself a ride back home.

But even that was a dream in on itself, she had no home, she had no family, her mother and father died years ago, she was all alone and that is how she was going to die, with no one there to protect her, she had nothing left and nothing to lose, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

She looked up to see the Naga raise his trident to finish her and she could see it glistening in the morning sun, at least she was going to die with something that actually looked impressive, that was probably the only highlight of her miserable existence, her inevitable end.

She watched as the spear came down towards her and the next thing she saw was darkness...

But it wasn't the darkness of death or loss of consciousness, no, someone had stepped in front of her and shielded her from the attack. She looked up to see a man holding back the trident with a large cleaver-like sword, but the most surprising thing was he looked so young, maybe a year or two younger than she was, and he was maybe half as small as the Naga he was holding off.

"It's pretty cowardly fighting someone who can't fight back." The young man said, his words and tone strong and commanding.

"You think I care for honor, these creatures mean nothing to me, they all deserve to be slaughtered!" Replied the Naga, his words sounded watery and full of arrogance, his opinion of her kind not very high.

"You have no right to judge these people, nor do you have the right to kill them." He retorted before deflecting the trident to the side and making an attack.

Ichigo swung his sword at the Naga's chest, only for him to lean away from the attack. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu with both hands and held it in front of him.

Glancing back at the girl behind him and gave her a reassuring smirk before saying.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this guy, get somewhere safe."

Those were his last words before he charged off to meet the Naga head on, leaving Adelina to watch in complete surprise, she didn't think she was going to be saved, but then he appeared out of nowhere and saved her...

_'Who was he? Why did he save me?'_

* * *

Ichigo swung down his sword on top of the Naga's trident, this one was very strong and not sluggish as his size made out. Naga threw away Ichigo's sword and made for his own attack, with both hands he drove his trident at Ichigo's exposed side, Ichigo leaned back to avoid it. He then grabbed hold of the trident by the shaft and then with Zangetsu in his right hand swung at the Naga, but his hand was caught by the serpents massive claw, with a hiss he threw Ichigo over his shoulder and away.

As Ichigo flew through the air he was able to correct himself enough so when he hit the ground he rolled instead of slammed into it. When the young Shinigami finally stopped, he was force to leap away from the downward thrust from the Naga's trident, leaping forward and rolling he twisted into a crouch before rising to his feet to continue the fight, this guy was no pushover.

"You think you can defeat me human? I am Fathom Lord Raj Zir'Kesh! I will make you suffer for opposing me!" Shouted the Naga Leader now known as Zir'Kesh.

The Naga attacked again, the trident swung at him in a wide arc. Ichigo deflected it with his blade before moving in to attack his exposed right side, but Naga stopped the attack with his trident, by raising it up and then positioning it over his shoulder and covering his side, halting Ichigo's attack completely. With a flick of the serpent's wrist Zangetsu was knocked away.

Zir'Kesh twirled his trident in hand before grabbing it in both claws and driving the pummel into the Shinigami's chest, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him back. Another twirl of the trident and its sharp protruding tips were descending down forwards him, he felt one slam into his shoulder and force him onto his knees. Then the trident was pulled back violently digging the serrated edge into his flesh.

With a howl of pain Ichigo gripped his shoulder, he would have tried to make sure he was alright, but as soon as the weapon was pulled away the trident came rearing back at him, ready to pierce his chest with all three tips. Ichigo brought up Zangetsu and used the flat side of his blade as a makeshift shield.

When the trident struck he was knocked from his knees and onto his back, Ichigo looked up to see the trident on his once more, knocking the offending weapon to the side with Zangetsu he was able to flip back away from Zir'Kesh while on his back and regain his footing. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder he continued his attack, lunging forward he traded strikes with the Naga, their weapons clashing many time and neither getting the upper hand over the other. Both had an advantage over the other. Ichigo was smaller and quicker than his opponent, while the Naga had a longer weapon and greater reach which allowed him to land a few successful blows against the Shinigami, but those blows appeared superficial and didn't seem to hinder the young man what-so-ever.

With a single thrust of his sword Ichigo intended to impale Zir'Kesh, but his sword was stopped by the trident that trapped it between two prongs and the ground. Naga had planted his trident into the soil and trapped Ichigo's weapon along with it. But in a feat of strength Ichigo ripped his blade free from the vice between the trident and the earth and moved to attack again, this time a wide swing at Naga's right side, but his blade was halted when the Naga simply moved to the side and leaned on his staff, that was still planted in the earth, towards the sword.

Then with a quick thrust with his second hand Naga ripped his trident free and spun it, knocking Ichigo's blade overhead and out of his two handed grip, and then returning his trident to his right hand speared it towards Ichigo. Ichigo was able to deflect the attack to his side with ease, and when he got Zangetsu back in both hands he lunged at the Naga aiming to split his head in two, but another twist and the trident was now over the Naga's head and blocking the strike.

* * *

This series of events carried on for many minutes, either warrior trying to gain the upper hand against one another, but the battle itself did not go unnoticed to those around them, many had halted their own battles to watch the fight between a boy barely out of his teens and the toughest Naga present.

Many were gaping at the fact that the young man was able to fight against the beast let along survive against him for so long, there was truly no way someone that young could hope to fight against a Naga with such skill and survive more than a minutes.

Shandris looked on in surprise alongside her warriors. This was the boy that came here only a week ago and was dying of thirst and hunger along with exhaustion and yet here he was now fighting off an enemy that even she would not dare fight one on one with a sword.

Who was this man that possessed such skill that surpassed all others his age? There was no way he was normal! She remembered what Qunitis said, he possessed a demonic energy about him. So was this the stem of his power, increase physical traits?

Or was it something more?

* * *

Ichigo and Zir'Kesh had been fighting to a standstill for nearly ten minutes and neither of them had landed a lethal or killing blow, though Ichigo had taken several cuts and scrapes he was none worse for ware, but there was going to be a change to that in a moment.

Ichigo charged Zir'Kesh with his blade held back and ready to perform an upward swing, but this was a feint. He was starting to understand this guy's rhythm, and he knew exactly what he was about to do next and he knew what he had to do to catch him off guard and land a telling blow. Zir'Kesh saw Ichigo rush attack and reacted accordingly, he stabbed his spear in a downward thrust; to either stab him as he charged or to force him to a halt, but what happened next surprised him beyond words and action. Ichigo slowed his movement down to prevent himself form being impaled, the spear implanted itself into the ground at an angle, and that was when he made his move, if he had done this anytime earlier in the fight he would have stopped like the serpent had intended him to, but he knew how to improvise.

Ichigo instead of stopping leaped into the air, and twisted as he flew towards the surprised Naga, who looked up to see to young human's body flying towards him at a horizontal angle, and then as Ichigo reached him he swung his sword from over his chest and down at the Naga's head. Naga had only the hindsight to move his head back far enough so it wasn't split in two, but that didn't save his eyes from being destroyed and a large gash being cut through his armor and into his chest, when that attack was done Ichigo twisted in the air and landed on his feet beside the now wounded Naga.

Said Naga howled in pain and clutched at its now lost eye and slivered away from Ichigo, he spared a glance at the Shinigami to see him with a scowl on his features and determined eyes looking into his only remaining one.

While around them there were many shocked faces, they didn't believe what they had just seen he had actually wounded Zir'Kesh with a flawless yet unbelievably reckless attack, which it would seem, will be what will gain him a victory over the serpent.

Zir'Kesh charged in to repay him for his slight, but Ichigo was ready, and from there he began to make progress in fighting against the serpent. Ichigo deflected the attack to the side and then swung his blade up at the outstretched arm. Cutting a deep wound into the creatures forearm and arm, before the Naga swung his weapon towards Ichigo against, but it was easily dodged and allowed Ichigo to cut a shallow wound through the Naga's stomach. Its armor taking the brunt of the strike.

Then he tried to stab him, but quickly Ichigo stabbed Zangetsu into the ground and had his blade block the attack alone, and as another surprise to all he relinquished his blade and leaped onto the shaft of the trident and used it as a jump point to attack the Naga. With a sweeping kick Ichigo struck the Naga in the head and knocked him out of his senses, the Naga jerked back violently from the blow and was holding his head trying get rid of the wave of dizziness that overtook him.

Ichigo stood a few feet away from the Naga and watched him intently. He knew that the fight was starting to turn to his favor but you can never be too sure about a slippery snake, after all he had no honor when it came to battle.

"Serpent Guard to me!" he bellowed, and just like that he confirmed Ichigo's theory.

Behind him two large Naga with silver trident slivered over, ready to assist their wounded lord against the difficult human. Ichigo looked on with a deep scowl on his features, this would be tricky, he may have mapped out Zir'Kesh's fighting rhythm but against two others along with him it would be difficult to fight, especially if they are stronger than the standard run of the mill Naga he had been fighting before this guy.

"Kill him!"

The two serpent guard slivered their way over to Ichigo, Zir'Kesh staying behind them and waiting for the opportune time to strike.

A cowardly way.

Ichigo raised his sword and readied himself for the hard fight ahead, Ichigo ducked low and charged them.

The first serpent guard speared his trident forward, Ichigo batted it away easily, they were nearly as large as Zir'Kesh but they were not as fast as him. As he did so the other attacked, attacking from the opposite side, but Ichigo was able to parry the blow just as easily. Zangetsu held the trident away from Ichigo, its prongs mere inches from his face, then from the young Shinigami's left the first serpent guard attacked.

Ichigo turned towards him and angled his blade to force the other serpent guard's trident to slide off and embed itself into the ground. As the first serpent guard shot his trident forward Ichigo deflected the attack downwards by stepping to the side and striking it from above, when both tridents hit the ground Ichigo retaliated, placing his foot on top of the second trident he held it down and kept the first stuck under it, with Zangetsu in his right hand he swung in a wide arc at them both. He aimed his blade to cut off both their heads in a single swing, the first Naga was able to lean back and avoid it from decapitating him, but the one with its trident pinned under the other one had the blade coming straight towards his front, he had no way to dodge.

But to Ichigo's surprise and to the Serpent Guard's relief, Zir'Kesh intervene and halted the attack. The golden trident shot forward and caught the blade between its prongs, but the strike was also an attack, Zir'Kesh pushed his trident hard against the blade forcing it back towards Ichigo and the prongs along with it.

Ichigo had to bring up his other free arm to support his blade to prevent the brings from getting too close, this in turn forced him to lift his foot off the serpent guard's trident and allow them both to use their weapons again. Ichigo threw the trident off Zangetsu and sidestepped to the left. But as soon as he moved he was attacked by one of the Serpent Guards, a trident came down towards his head.

Leaping away Ichigo narrowly avoided the blow and watched as it shattered the ground beneath it, Ichigo made to retaliated but when he did the second serpent guard shot his trident at him from his front and over the first serpent guard trident. Acting quickly he was able to knocked the attack away but when Zir'Kesh swung his trident down at him from up high Ichigo had to raise his blade to block the attack.

And when he did block the golden weapon the first Naga attacked, from beneath the second silver trident the first swung it's at the young human. Catching Ichigo in the stomach he was knocked off his feet and causing the serrated edge along the outer prong to dig into the flesh of his stomach, blood and a howl of pain escaped from him before he landed with a heavy thud on his back, Ichigo looked up to see them charging in, he gritted his teeth and defended himself as best he could.

* * *

All around him the fighting had stopped.

There were no more contests between the Naga and the sentinels, only spectators watching a battle between three Naga and single human, whose skill with the sword rivals that of any of them here, they could see he was clearly outmatched. Yet through it all he gave it everything he had, no matter how insurmountable the odds seemed he didn't give up, still he had the grim determinate look in his eyes and even through it all he never stopped fighting.

Shandris could only watch in marvel as he battled against them with skill that surpassed his age.

Adelina looked on in complete shock at the skill and power he possessed, there was no way someone could fight like that, at first he was losing and then he was winning, after that he was losing and now it seemed like he was holding his ground, barely, but still holding firm against the onslaught of those three. She could see he was in trouble, he was wounded and was bleeding pretty badly, if someone didn't do something he was as good as dead, but the battles had all stopped and everyone was watching it unfold, why?

Why not go in and help him?

Adelina couldn't bear to watch as someone fights to the death not after saving her.

* * *

Ichigo leaped away from another strike as it planted itself into the ground where he once stood. As he landed he was forced to duck under the second Serpent Guard's trident, and then the Zir'Kesh attacked, shooting his golden trident at Ichigo while he was in a crouch. Ichigo gritted his teeth and leaned out of the way, but as the trident passed him he grabbed hold of the shaft and held the damn Naga in place while he attacked, he swung his sword in a wide arc to the Naga's exposed right side.

He could see that he didn't have time to lean away or try to release his weapon. Just as it was a few inches from hitting its target another trident shot past between the Naga and Ichigo and halted Zangetsu, a dark smile creased its way onto the Leaders lips. Just them Ichigo looked to his left to see the other serpent guard moving to strike.

Ichigo hefted his blade free and tried to deflect the attack before it made contact. He was only partially successful. The blade had missed its target but one of the prongs was able to pierce his side, Ichigo let out a scream as the sharp metal cut through flesh and muscle. In retaliation Ichigo swung Zangetsu lazily at the Naga and it backed off quickly ripping the weapon free and forcing Ichigo to groan as the metal ripped even more of his side apart and left a good amount of blood spill onto the ground.

Before Ichigo could try and defend himself a tail lashed out at him and sent him sailing through the air, Ichigo landed fifteen feet away from the three Naga and was lying flat on his stomach, for a moment everyone thought he was dead, but then he started to move, slowly fighting to get back on his feet.

"Persistent little cockroach" Hissed the Zir'Kesh, twirling his trident in his hand as he approached the wounded young man.

His intention was to finish the little pest off them finish off this stronghold, there was nothing that was going to stop him from doing either. Or so he thought.

As he raised his trident to strike he felt great pleasure at killing this vermin once and for all, it may not make up for losing his eye but it was a start. He reared back his weapon and watched at the human turned to look up at him, he expected fear or possibly him to beg for mercy. But again he surprised him with his action, instead of fear or mercy he had the same determined look in his eyes and grim resolve, even in death he still thought he could hold against him, still he thought he could beat him.

"You have lived long enough in my presence, worm." Hissed the Naga Lord.

Then he shot his trident forward, but then he noticed that he found himself caught.

"**Entangling Roots**" an almost inaudible squeak was heard.

He looked over to his arm to see that it was entangled in roots. He had been ensnared by roots, someone was interfering with his battle!

He turned to look over his shoulder from where the voice came to see a lone Night Elf standing there, shaking without control and utter terror in her features, she had both her hands extended forward and had a green energy coiling around her fingers. She was the one who interfered, the same one that escaped his wrath when that boy interfered. Hissing he turned to his Serpent Guard.

"Kill that wretch!"

* * *

Adelina looked off to the side to see the Naga moving in on her. She could feel her dread rising quickly, she knew that it was a stupid idea to try and stop them but what else could she do? She couldn't let them kill the person who had saved her, she couldn't just turn her back on him!

She took a step back as the Naga reared back his trident to strike, when it swiped at her she fell away, only avoiding it because she fell to the ground. Again Naga raised its trident to strike, fear gripped her to the core and she could only look away. She looked over to see the shocked young man that had saved her, she could see replacing his determination and resolve was fear.

He was worried about her?

Maybe that was what he is like, someone who protects other for no other reason than they need protecting.

It would have been nice to have him as a friend.

She looked in the corner of her eye to see the Naga shriek as he sent his trident towards her. She couldn't watch anymore and shut her eyes tightly, she wanted to cry but she knew that she wouldn't be able to shed a single tear in the time it would take for the trident to hit.

When she felt it she didn't expect it to be so painless, she felt something hit into her and she felt everything spin and then return to normal. But were was the pain and then the feeling of slowly drifting off into sleep? That was what she expected, not just some motion sickness and then nothing.

She slowly opened her eyes to see that the Naga was no longer above her, instead it was replaced with the face of the young man that had saved her the first time. He was looking down at her, she could see into his deep brown eyes, she could feel them piercing into her own and she felt strength within his gaze. She felt almost minuscule under his scrutiny, even though she never had been looked down upon by her teachers before she had never been so daunted, it felt like Fangrel Staghelm was judging her. He was that overpowering that she couldn't even try to advert her gaze from his own.

"You alright?" he said to her.

His words strong yet light as he asked to make sure she was alright. She couldn't really form words to utter a reply, she could only nod dumbly at the young man that was holding her in his arms.

* * *

Ichigo looked down at the woman in his arms. He was lucky he was able to save her, she was only seconds away from being skewered. It was a good thing he had enough Reiatsu to Shunpo to her and get her out of harm's way. He looked up from her and at the three Naga that were now looking on in surprise at what transpired.

He had actually gotten to her in the blink of an eyes and picked her up and moved her out of harm's way. They didn't know if it was some sort of teleportation ability or some sort of increase movement.

Ichigo put the young Elf down and stood up from his crouch, he stepped forward and stood between her and the Naga, and he held Zangetsu in his hand by his side and stared down the three Naga before him.

"This is between you and me, you won't touch her." Ichigo said.

He couldn't allow them to hurt her, he remember that face.

He remembered that vision, he couldn't allow someone he was meant to protect get hurt!

He wouldn't allow it!

It didn't matter if it was his friend or someone he had never met before, he would never allow them to die because of him, not again! He would protect them and he would keep them safe, no matter the odds, no matter the situation, he would not fail them.

"It matters not what you say, in the end you will die as will everyone else here." Said the Zir'Kesh, hefting his trident onto his shoulder and looking towards the human.

Ichigo didn't reply straight away, instead he hung his head and thought about it. He thought about being here and how he was possibly stuck, he thought about Orihime, Rukia, Ishida, Renji, Nel, Chad, he thought about them all. If they were in danger, if they were hurt, if they were dead...

He gripped his sword tightly.

He couldn't allow that, he needed to get back, he couldn't allow them to win, he had to win this, he had to find a way home, he would protect them, and he would protect them all!

"No." said Ichigo, the Naga made to say something, but before he could something began to happen.

Around the boy a dim white light formed around him.

_"Abandon your fear" _Ichigo could hear them, old man Zangetsu's words.

The wind and dirt began to spiral around him before it shot out.

_"Look forward."_

The winds began to pick up and the air around them felt heavy, it was like the man was the eye of a small hurricane.

_"Move forward and never stop."_

Stone and dust were blown into the air.

_"You'll age if you pull back."_

Naga and Elven people took a step back from the sheer force that was coming off of the human.

_"You'll die if you hesitate."_

It felt like he was a force of nature.

_"What do you want, to live or to win?"_

"I have sacrificed too much, fought to hard, to be beaten by the likes of you!" Ichigo's Eyes were _burning_ with inner power. "I. Will. Win!"

In an instant he disappeared, from where he stood he was now behind the two Serpent Guard. In only a fraction of a second both were engulfed in an explosion of dirt, wind and blood, their weapons shattered and their bodies went flying backwards, their eyes and mouths wide in shock, having not registered what happened just yet. They flew through the air for a few second before flying past Ichigo who stood ten feet behind them and three from the Zir'Kesh , who was shocked by the boys power.

He looked into his eyes and saw his eyes glow with an unnatural force, it felt as if gravity had increase and the air in his lungs was seized.

"There are people counting on me, I can't let them down, as long as I breathe, you will not beat me!" Proclaimed the substitute, raising his sword above his head which began to blow with a white light.

* * *

Zir'Kesh eyes widened as the pressure increased further.

_'What is he?'_ Thought the Naga Lord Raj Zir'Kesh.

The boy was beyond comprehension, there was no way he could still continue moving with those wounds nor could he fight with such strength! _What_ was he?

"I will not be beaten by a mere Human!" Shouted Zir'Kesh defiantly, sending his trident to impale the young man.

But as he neared the body his weapon shattered in his hands, falling apart into nothing more than pebble size shards. Utter shock was all he could experience before blinding pain shot through his chest and body.

A massive explosion of wind and dust covered the entire area around the two fighters, and a loud booming crash as metal destroyed metal.

For all those who watched it was spectacle none thought they would have ever seen with their own naked eyes.

From the cloud flew out the Naga Lord, his armor destroyed and what pieces of it that remained continued to fall apart and away from him, revealing a deep gash through his chest. Blood flowed freely and in large quantities from the savage wound. He hit the ground with a thud before bouncing off it and smashing into a nearby tree. The Naga Lord slid down the lengths of the tree and had his back resting against it, a choking cough escaped his lips before it took in watery breaths trying to breathe, but it was the end for him. He would never be able to recover from the wound that had been dealt to him.

Zir'Kesh looked up to the human that had killed him... No, not human, something else. He was definitely not human, he was something else entirely! He had utterly annihilated him with a single swing of his sword, he had been brought low by something he could not describe.

"Not… human…" those were his last words.

The light faded from his eyes and the air parted from his lungs forevermore.

* * *

All around the battle were frozen in place, the sentinels where shocked beyond words at the power this human wielded, while the Naga were terrified of it.

He stood there his blade held at the climax of a downward slash, the ground beneath him ruptured and a trench eight feet in length straight ahead of him, a simple swing of the sword had created a eight foot long trench and who knows how far deep.

"Retreat!" Shouted a Naga warrior. "Flee… Lord Zir'Kesh is dead!"

Like that the Nagas slivered their way off the isle, as quickly as they could. The sentinels doing nothing to stop them, their attention still on the young human who stood motionless in the middle of the small battleground, his head hung low and his sword still pointing towards the ground. Shandris along with two other approached him slowly, not too sure if he is a threat or not, although if he saved the young Elf then it is possible that her worries are unfounded, as she drew close enough she saw him breathing very heavily and sweeting.

"Human…. Are you alright?" Asked Shandris.

Inconspicuously she was reaching for her short sword should he try and attack her. As she drew closer he swayed to the side and began to fall, he lost his grip on his sword and fell to the ground. Just as he was about to hit he was caught by the sentinel general. She laid him down on the ground and crouched by his side, she could see the weariness in his eyes and features, obviously that attack had taken a lot out of him, similar to how he was brought here a week ago.

"Get the wounded to the healer!" Commanded Shandris.

She turned back to the human and saw he had slipped into unconsciousness, she didn't know what to make of this, what the hell happened? What was that power he possessed, she would find out, as soon as he awoke she would find out all she could about him.

* * *

**Well there you have it, the second chapter in my third story, now bad huh, its starting to heat up and the fire is only going to get hotter.**

**I would like tho thank Zaralann for Beta-Reading my work and also for providing me with his OC:**

**Adelina – A young Night Elf Druid in training from Stonetalon Mountains.  
**

**As well as many more that will appear in later chapters, and if you want your own characters to be featured in this story or my other one, please let me know and send me a profile of your character and I'll be sure to put them in.**


	4. Chapter 03: I am Human, a Soul, I am

**Hello everyone, I hope you are enjoying yourselves, because I am, and today I bring you my latest chapter in Transcendence.**

**Now to let you all know, there will be a slight delay in my update of my major Story Lords of Warcraft, as it has been given a major plot twist thanks to the voting of my users, and that is why I am glad to announce that The Battle for Middle Earth II and War of the North will be having a role in the story. I will begin my work on restarting the story as soon as possible so don't worry; it is not on a permanent Hiatus.**

**Now on with the reviews**

**Fraiku: yeah, the manga was a bit late, but still it makes it more enjoyable when it comes out later**

**Rodmus87: I aim to please, and if you think that was good, just wait for later chapters.**

**Zaralann: an with you effort and support it will continue to do so**

**IchigoMoonCutter: Thank you, I have a good method on how to describe the details of the battles, as for Ichigo, yeah I'm glad how I did him, I am doing him as he is supposed to be and showing how he is not just an ass kicking shinigami, but he is also human and vulnerable.**

**Tundrafire: Thanks, and if I don't keep him in character please tell me, but remember he will be changing through this story, it will not be all sunshine and dailies on this story, there will be dark moments in Ichigo's journey that will change him.**

**Ultima-owner: yeah, I like it, I thought about his previous battles and his main strength comes from his need to protect others and become stronger to do it.**

**Zerodragon: Oh he will be doing a lot of things in this world and before he speaks with jaina there will be one or two events that he will take part in.**

**Leapinglemur: Thanks man I took a look and I like that troll family of your, might add them to my other fic as well.**

**S.R.457: YES SIR. Sadly I can't reveal too much without spoiling it, but you're on the right track, and also I thank you, it means so much to be considered the best with this type of crossover.**

**Alchemists19: Fascinating**

**Guest #1: well everyone has their own opinions, as for my writing, yeah sometimes I do think it needs some work, but everyone has their own style of writing and I am comfortable with mine.**

**As for Ichigo getting forced back, exhaustion + broken wrist, not easy to fight, and Ichigo wasn't fighting in his Bankai, he was in his Shikai state and if I didn't clarify that I am sorry, but even if he didn't have a broken wrist and was exhausted to boot, he would still have some difficulty with a demon. After all just because you can pwn a demon in wow easy doesn't mean that is what their like, I mean do you think a gnome warrior could take down a vrykul in a straight up fight in a realistic scenario? Probably not. I haven't downgraded him either, he can still access all his powers but their limited to how fast he can recover, without there being any spiritual pressure around him her need to recover it on his own. **

**Guest #2:I'm glad you like it, thank you, i find it more beleivable and easier to understand when you have the finer details, i know it can be sometime boring to just read through an entire paragraph about how he was only able to cut his sleeve and not his arm, but i try to bring it down to a better level so you all can enjoy it. I'm glad you like my story, it is people like you who make me continue to make this.  
**

**Anyone want to have an OC's brought into the story, send me a PM and I'll see to it that they are brought into the story as it progresses, just send me their Name, Race, Sex, Age, Class, Skill Tree, Profession, Physical Description, Personality, Armour, Weapons, and a scenario that Ichigo could meet them.**

**Also there is a question i would like to ask, should Ichigo learn skills from a class and maybe take up a profession, if so let me know and give me a reason behind your decision. **

**Also there is a new poll on my profile, please visit and vote on who should fight who in United Against Legion of Flames, so take your picks and enjoy, and if you have your own suggestions please let me know.**

* * *

**Chapter 03: I am Human! I am a Soul! I am a Shinimagi!**

**Feathermoon Stronghold, Two Days after the Hatecraft Naga Attack**

Sandris leaned heavily on the wooden railing of her balcony; she had a lot on her mind at the moment.

As of late there has been nothing but trouble across the globe and that didn't stop it from finding its way to her fortress that carried her namesake. She could see her warriors and many different builders working to repair the damage that had been done by the Hatecrest Naga. They were lucky they only suffered minor damage during the raid. Had the Naga remained after their leader's death the fortress may have suffered far greater than what they had.

This fortress was originally built to keep an eye of the activities of the Naga in the region, to make sure that they didn't think about trying to make a move on the mainland, and sadly they weren't equipped to build walls or other barricades. Their resources were currently strained at the moment. Most of the resources the sentinels are suing is going to Ashenvale to ward off the Horde incursions into the area, continual requests for reinforcements and supplies had been in the many, but only a few had been answered and fewer that actually offered what was needed.

They had tried to reason that they were dealing with very dangerous adversaries and needed more resources and soldiers to hold them back, but sadly Tyrande had been having difficulty getting Fandral Staghelm to send aid down to them. Stating that a few Naga shouldn't be a problem for the _Sentinel General_, but it was more than _a few_ Naga they were dealing with now.

The forces of Eldre'Thalas had begun to stir.

The once great Capital City of Queen Azshara's Highborne servitors, a place where one could live in peace and harmony without a care in the world. But for the last ten thousand years it has rotted into a blighted ruin and shadow of its former glory, and amply named Dire Maul by the newest rulers of the city, the Gordunni Ogres.

The city had been bustling with activity over the last few weeks. Mainly reports of Demons and Highborne Arcanists, but that was nothing new. But _now_ there were reports of a large demonic incursion within the ruined city, led by an unknown Dreadlord who is now trying to take over the entirety of the ruined capital for unknown reasons.

Even she could tell that no matter the reasons behind the actions of the inhabitants of the twisted nether, it does not bode well for the people of this world. She couldn't send out anyone to deal with it... Well, more correctly not her own forces. She had tried to make contact with the Horde camp in Eastern Feralas, even though she had no love for the Orcs and Trolls, the Tauren she was more than willing to work with. She and her rangers had worked with them in the past when dealing with the Grimtotem tribes that had moved into the region as well as Thousand Needles.

She had sent word to them of the situation and has yet to receive word back. Either they were not interested or they were busy trying to get reinforcements in to deal with it, but either way they were running out of time. But even those two things were not as bad as the one that was occurring in her own fortress at this moment.

For the Hatecrest Naga may be a stone throws away from her fortress, there may be a distinct possibility that there could be a demon in their camp right now, which is currently unconscious and waiting to be woken.

She had no idea if he was a demon or not. After all, he did save the Inn Keeper and all her tenants when the Naga broke into the Inn and he also saved that young girl Adelina, and went toe to toe with the Naga leader and vanquished him in a grand display of power.

Power which she has never before witnessed!

She may not be able to sense the demons, but she could tell that he was not human, at least not fully. Already Quintis and her Sentinels were guarding him in a small room on the other side of the Isle. She wanted to be there to question him when he wakes up, she wanted to know exactly who this man is and where he came from, and she was sure that where he did come from wasn't anywhere near the Eastern Kingdoms that the humans live or from Theramore. And with that demonic taint on him... She knew that there was more to this boy then she knew, but what she didn't know she would find out soon enough.

Soon a sentinel walked into the room and bowed towards the Ranger General, Shadris looked at her and saw she was one of the sentinels she had guarding the unknown human boy.

"Is he awake?" Questioned Shadris, her tone showing that she was eager to go there and begin the interrogation on the boy.

"Yes, Lady Shadris, he had woken several minutes ago and is currently being spoken to by Quintis Jonespyre." Replied the sentinel.

Shandris didn't even wait to let her finish before she made a move for the door, ready to see once and for all if this man was a friend or a foe.

* * *

**_Five Minutes Ago_, Feathermoon Inn**

Ichigo could hear the sound of bird chirping and the sound of the waves washing onto the beach before he woke fully from his slumber. And when he did wake up and his other sense took effect he almost wished they were as dull as they were a moment ago. The stiffness had returned. Although it wasn't as bad as it was the first time he woke up in this place, but still it hindered his movements enough to make him not want to try and sit up.

He looked around and saw that he was back in his room and not alone. In fact he had a lot of company, many of which were Sentinels, as well as Quintis, and from the looks they were giving him, they were not here for a social call, he could see from many of their expressions that if looks could kill, he would have been buried long before he woke up.

"How long was I out?" Asked Ichigo, rubbing the weariness from his eyes, not knowing if it was from deprivation of sleep or from exhaustion of the fight he had against those Naga creatures.

"Two days. Your wounds were quite severe, but not life threatening." Said Quintis.

His words not carrying the same friendly tone they once did when they spoke to one another a few days ago, it looked like that stunt he pulled against that Naga must have made these people suspicious of him.

"Is Shyria and that girl okay?" Ichigo asked.

He looked over to see the man's stern face remain, but in truth it was always like that, he made up for it with a much more friendlier tone.

"Yes, Shyria and the other resident are safe and the girl as well. They are safe, because of you." He replied, his tone much lighter than it was a moment ago.

He was grateful for what he did but he still couldn't allow that to judge his decision if this man before them is a demon. But he knew that though his power feels demonic, he knew that it wasn't so. That feeling he felt from the boy, he felt it before, at first it had eluded him and remained unnoticed, but when he felt it when Ichigo struck down those Naga, and he knew what it was in an instant.

Just as Quintis answered his question two people entered the room, the first was the Sentinel that left as soon as Ichigo began to stir and the other, not unexpected, was Shadris Feathermoon. Obviously here to question the boy personally about that little feat he performed two days ago.

She wore the form fitting armor of blue and dark purple, obviously for its use as camouflage when moving through the wilderness. She decided to forgo the Sentinel mask that she would often wear in the field as well as her bow. She walked up to the boy and stood next to his bed and gazed at him.

Her glowing orbs of white meeting his brown eyes. She was studying him, trying to gauge his character before she spoke to him and find the best way to get the information she wanted out of him.

He was strong that she could tell, his iron will and desire to fight on even when wounded showed that, but the willingness to risk his life to save one person, though almost naive was a great part of his character, the desire to protect everyone around him. A fools ambition, not something that a warrior would try to aspire to, but him, he didn't think he could protect everyone, he _believed_ he could. She could see it in his eyes when he saw Adelina about to be killed, the drive to protect and safeguard her from harm.

Even though she was a stranger he didn't hesitate to defend her. Something that few warriors would do, even with all his power and skill he would gladly use it only to protect others, even if it meant getting hurt he would not shy away from a fight.

That is what she saw that day and that is what she saw now - a warrior, not one who seeks battle to attain glory or riches, but to defend what is precious to him. That is his reason to fight; that is the reason he lives, why no matter how hard they struck him, how badly they wounded him, he would not fall until he knew those he was protecting were safe.

"I am Shadris Feathermoon, General of the Sentinel Army and Commander of this Stronghold; I would like to thank you for your assistance in protecting this fortress and its people from the Hatecrest Naga." Said Shadris, surprising the Druid and some of the Sentinels.

They had thought they had come here to keep him under guard because he was a potential threat, but had they actually come here to keep him safe from harm?

"No problem." Said Ichigo. He looked around the room and stared at the mildly surprised Sentinels. He had a suspicion that this was not what was meant to be happening, so he decided to ask. "So may I ask: Am I a prisoner?"

"Even though you _did_ save us from one enemy, we cannot determine if you are one as well." Said Shadris, reaffirming the thoughts of the Sentinels in the room about their 'prisoner', the ones that were only a moment ago begrudgingly relaxing stiffened up once more.

"I am not your enemy. You saved my live, nursed me back to health, on more than one occasion. What reason do I have to be your enemy?" Asked Ichigo, his trademark scowl in place, really wanting to know the logic on how he was their enemy.

Shadris looked at the boy and almost smirked, even with all his heroics, he was still a boy.

"Because you are far from what you appear to be. True you were nursed back to health by us, but not because we just wanted to repay you, we want information." She said, looking down at him pointedly, as if her eyes were daggers, she pierced right through him and continued to digging. "You have something that makes you a potential enemy and with your power we cannot be too careless."

"And what exactly makes me an enemy?" Demanded Ichigo.

He wanted to sit up and say it to her face but his wounds and stiffness didn't really allow him free range movement, instead all he could do was stare up at her with a deep scowl.

"Because you smell like a demon." Said Shadris, utter contempt for the creatures and the word she just uttered, and from the looks of the Sentinels around the room, that sentiment was shared by them all.

Ichigo however looked on in shock, they thought he was demon? Where the hell would they get that idea? Wait, maybe it was because he was in that place and when he was there, that weird energy must have seeped onto him or something.

"I can tell you, I'm not a demon, but as for the stink, I think I got it from those things in the ruins in the forest." Said Ichigo, Shandris narrowed her eyes at the young man.

Ruins? He must be speaking of Dire Maul, they were the closest ruins near here that were infested with demons, could he have come from there? A group of treasure hunters searching for riches within the ancient Highborne city?

"What do you mean? What things?" Demanded Shandris, her hands no longer folded over her chest, now at her sides and her hand balled into fists, ready to use them if the boy wasted her time.

"When I woke up I was inside this massive room, there were these people there, like you, they were fighting against this large Demon-dog-thing and another one that had hooves, wing and horns." Said Ichigo, everyone in the room realized he was speaking about the Highborne within Dire Maul. They had been reported to be performing arcane rituals within the confines of the city, but demonic? That was new. She was right that he came from the city, the description of them may be shabby but it was enough to confirm that he was there, but why he was there was another question. "They were saying that the Demon was loose, I had no idea what was going on, so I ran. Tried to get out of there. Eventually I did and when I was going through the forest I eventually blacked out, and that's where you guys found me I guess."

"Sadly there is one problem with your story." said Quintis, staring down at him harshly, as if catching him in a lie, Ichigo looked up at the green haired elf and wondered what he was talking about. He didn't lie, so what was it about his story that he didn't believe? "True there is a lingering presence of a demon on you, but the essence I felt that day isn't coming from that lingering energy, it is coming from you right now. Please explain to us, what is the cause of this?"

Ichigo was dumbstruck for a moment, demonic energy coming from him? That wasn't right! There was no way he was giving off demonic energy, there had to be something else he was referring to... Wait! Reiatsu, maybe he felt his Reiatsu. It's possible he mistook it for demonic energy, after all Reiatsu was dense spiritual energy and even though it is from the soul it is very dense, so that means that the feeling one gets when coming in contact with it may have caused them to think it was demonic rather than just energy or Mana.

"I think you're mistaking it for something else." Said Ichigo, looking over to the druid, who narrowed his eyes at the boy, thinking he is going to create up some sort of half-assed excuse on why he doesn't have demonic energy coming off of him like stink from a ghoul. "It's not demonic energy, its spiritual pressure."

"Spiritual Pressure? What are you talking about child?" said Quintis, Ichigo scowl deepened at the comment about his age but remained calm, one wrong move and he was as good as dead in these guys books.

"Spiritual Pressure is the energy that makes up my body, similar to how you use Mana; I use the energy from my own spirit to fight." Said Ichigo. "The reason it may have felt wrong was because Spirit Pressure is very dense and can be misinterpreted as bad."

Shandris looked into the boy's eyes to see if he was lying, and from what she could tell he was either a good liar or telling the truth, but still she needed to speak with Quintis about this. She motioned his off to the side and spoke with him quietly for a moment.

* * *

When they were out of earshot of the boy they conversed, all the while Ichigo looked on trying to pick up any words he could, this may be the point where they decide to have him released or executed, and he really didn't want to be executed.

"Do you believe him?" Asked Shadris, her words barely a whisper, so that only Quintis could hear her.

"It does make some sense, the power of the spirits is very great, using it could make him stronger. I have seen it in Shamans and fellow Druids, but very few to his level of power and for someone so young." Said Quintis, which made Shandris stare at him, how this made any sense was beyond her.

"What do you mean it makes sense?" asked Shadris.

"The _Power_ he used, I have felt it before, but not from Demons, it was almost like… it felt like the Emerald Dream, the power of the Dream was actually being _channeled_ through the boy." Said Quintis, in deep thought about what he could be. Not a Druid or a Shaman, but something else. Shandris looked at him with utter surprise and disbelief. She cast a quick and inconspicuous glance towards the boy and then back to the Druid as he continued. "He has a power similar to that, which is found in the dream and gives the spirits their strength."

"So, he can connect to the Dream and draw upon its power?" Asked Shandris.

This was odd; Druids and some Shamans could draw and enter the Dream, but a _human_ being able to do it? _That_ was hard to believe; they had no concept of the dream or cared for it from what she heard from those who spoke to them. They were usually too interested in their Church of the Light, rather than caring about the Dream in which the Spirits dwell, so the fact this boy is able to draw power from it is hard to believe.

"Yes, but it would seem he is too young to control it. I can feel it washing off of him like water from an overflowing cup, but the cup isn't even full yet." Said Quintis.

Shadris turned back to the boy and looked at him for a moment; she could see he was concerned about what they were talking about, likely thinking this is where they decide his fate.

"Are you sure that is what you felt?" asked Shadris.

"I am sure, before he regained his power, I did sense it, but I mistook it for my own power as I healed him, and when it became more pronounced I could still feel it, but it was heavier." Said Quintis, proving that the boy was telling the truth that his power was highly condensed.

But that didn't change a few things, he wasn't a Druid or a Shaman, and he was not human, they could say that for sure. He could be something from the emerald dream, but what exactly? There was little she knew about what dwelt within that realm, and if Quintis didn't know what he was then there could be any number of things that he could be... More questioning would be required.

* * *

They turned back and walked towards Ichigo again. He looked up at them with wide eyes and a concerned look on his features, as if the next words from her mouth would condemn him to his fate, luckily for him he wasn't going to die, yet.

"We have discussed your claim." Said Shadris, and from the look on his face, he didn't care much for sugar coating their decision. He had a scowl that showed he was both irritated and also worried at the same time. "And we believe, that you are not a Demon."

He let out a breath and visibly relaxed. He must have thought that would have been the end of it, but to his disappointment and to Shadris' own slight amusement she took that hope away from him.

"But that doesn't mean we think you're an ally, so don't get your hopes up." She said, and almost smirked at the way his face went from relived to glum in a second, he stared at her with half-lidded eyes and a face that said something akin to 'you're shitting me?'.

"Tell me, what are you?" asked Quintis, looking down at the boy, no longer with a sneer but with curiosity.

He had traversed the Dream for ten thousand years and knew it better than he did the world right now, and he had seen and witnessed many different wildlife within that spiritual land.

But this boy was not among the things he noticed. He wondered if he was Green Dragon in disguise, it would attribute to his power, it was not as powerful as an adult dragon, but a drake, yes that may be what he could be, but the clothing and the attitude of this one was not right in his opinion.

Ichigo was at an impasse at the moment, there were some things he could tell them and then there were other things he shouldn't. Even though he was human, he was also a Shinigami and going off and saying that he was _Death God_ didn't exactly sound like a good idea.

But that was also _against the rules_, telling these guys about what he was. He couldn't do it without suffering the repercussions of telling these people, it was against the _law_ to be seen and talk with these people let alone help them in their own mortal affairs. But then he remembered, he wasn't on earth anymore, this was a completely different ballgame right now. These people likely had things here that made him look like a chump. Walking trees, demons, snake people... He wondered when he was going to come across a dragon or some sort of angry god that wanted to drink his blood and bring the apocalypse.

"I… am a Shinigami." said Ichigo.

It wasn't easy for him to say that. After all, he was going on a hunch here, if he did say it there was no telling what could happen, this could be all some wild dream cocked up by that psycho Mayuri and his assistant, which means he is as good as fucked if he didn't wake up right now. But if this was another world then it was unlikely that he would suffer at the hands of the Gotei 13 and its Captains for telling these people he was a Soul Reaper who send souls over to the afterlife.

"A Shinigami? What exactly is that? I have never heard of the language before." Asked Quintis, his mind working to remember if there was anything that shared that name during his time in the dream, but nothing came up.

"In layman's terms, it means: Death God or Soul Reaper." Said Ichigo.

He looked at the occupants of the room and he expected one of two possible things, the first they would be shocked at the declaration that he was a _God_ and try to get him to admit what he really was.

Or second, they would be shocked and be more wary of his now and think him as a dangerous threat to their safety and would need to be either killed or imprisoned, but neither happened.

"You are a _God_?" Deadpanned Shadris.

Her tone was utterly plain, yet disbelieving. It sounded like she didn't believe him, not because it sounded ludicrous but because the fact that him of all people could be a _God_ sounded like the most stupid thing out there.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Retorted Ichigo on her blasé question.

He looked around and saw that the Sentinels were all looking at one another, either shrugging or just snickering at the comment, even though he was happy about them not going all crazy about it, he wanted to know why they thought the fact he was a god was funny.

"You're a bit small to be a _God_..." said Quintis. Smirking towards the young boy, who looked up at him in exasperation 'was that it?' "Also you're not really that powerful, in fact you couldn't even compare to a primal _God_ than the other deities that exist here."

"It's just a title, it doesn't mean we actually _think_ we're _Gods_." said Ichigo

"Good thing, because the others would be pretty angry that they had to share the title with such a skinny little thing like you." Said Shadris, cracking a grin for the first time since she arrived in the room, finding it amusing to torment the young man, and finding it even more funny how he react to it.

"Bite me." Said Ichigo, before turning his head away from the woman that was starting to remind him of Yoruichi.

"Sorry, not a troll, and even if I was, there's hardly anything on you but skin and bones" she replied. Some chuckles escaped the lips of the Sentinels and an exasperated sigh from Ichigo, who turned back to her and saw that she still had a small smirk on her face. "But still, why don't you tell me about what you Death Gods, do exactly."

"Our job is to ferry souls from the world of the living to the afterlife." Said Ichigo, deciding to give them the gist of his duties and what he does. "We travel from one place to another finding wandering souls and sending them to the afterlife, which is where we usually reside."

"So you reside within the Emerald Dream?" Asked Quintis, but his statement did not seem to register to the boy as he looked up at him with a completely confused look.

That wasn't right, he should know about the dream, his energy and it was completely the same to one another, so where else could he have come from.

"Emerald Dream? What's that supposed to be?" Both Shadris and Quintis shared a look with one another.

She was thinking she may have heard Quintis wrong when he said that the boy shared the same energy as that of the Emerald Dream, while Quintis was thinking that he had to be from the Emerald Dream there was no other place that he knew of that shared that energy.

"Maybe the better question is: where are you from?" Asked Shandris, her eyes now more serious and her tone more professional.

Ichigo now was back in the interrogation seat.

_'Great.'_ He thought.

"I was wondering when this was gonna come up, well might as well get it out of the way now." Said Ichigo, the next thing was likely going to be a pain in the ass to explain to these people, they didn't have any technology by the looks of it and it was likely they had no idea what space was or that there were planets out there. "I am from another world."

"We noticed as much." Said Shadris, crossing her hands over her chest and staring down at him.

"No, not like another world, like the afterlife or something, I mean another world other than this one we are on right now." He could see the confused look on her face when she raised a single eyebrow to his statement.

_'God, this is going to suck.'_ He thought.

* * *

Ichigo then went on to describe how he comes from a world called Earth where only humans exist. Where Elves, magic, Naga and walking trees do not exist.

They looked at him in some surprise to what he was saying, but he continued on none the less. He then went on to describe the three realms that exist next to Earth.

The first being Soul Society, which he said is the afterlife and where the souls of the dead are sent after they die in the world of the living or are sent there by Shinigami.

He then said that there was Hell, a place where the more evil and bad souls were sent to be punished for their crimes, which include murder and other crimes against the innocent.

Then Hueco Mundo, the land of the Hollows, which he went into detail about explaining, souls that become corrupted because of being trapped in the World of the Living for too long and lose their heart and feed on other souls to fill the void that was lost.

He then told them about the Arrancars, more specifically the man he fought against before he was sent here through a portal and into an unknown hellish dimension in the middle of a void, which was filled with Demons and other creatures wanting to kill him.

He finished the tale with him telling them of his battle with the demon with wings, horns and hooves that was covered in black armor and had sharp claws, and how he fell through another portal that took him to those ruins, where he escaped and ended up in their care.

He finished with a deep breath and looked up at the people around him, unlike the last time he left them a bombshell he was sure they would go on about how other world don't exist and that he was lying to them and he was crazy to think that was true, but again he was wrong.

"So you got sent into the Twisted Nether..." Said Shandris, surprising the boy again, he had heard that same name from the Demon he fought again, what the hell didn't these people know? "It's a miracle that you're not dead, anyone else would have been killed almost in an instant in such a place, and Demons don't like it when people intrude on their territory."

"You know about that place?" Asked Ichigo, surprised, completely and utterly surprised.

"Of course, the Twisted Nether is an alternate dimension that connects world across the Greater Dark together; most of the creatures that inhabit it are Demons." Said Shandris, and the way she said it was as if it was common knowledge, which made him look like the biggest idiot to walk this world "Why? Didn't you know?"

"What do you think? I don't know about magic and Demons and all this fairy tale crap, I'm from a place where people think magic isn't real and where the closest thing to a God is someone like me." Said Ichigo

"Must be a sad and miserable place, especially if you're a God, although your young, I'm sure you'll grow into it." Said Shandris, encouraging the young man, who looking up at her with a noticeable twitch in his eye.

"Can I get back?" Ichigo asked, forgetting her previous comment and focusing on the task at hand.

If they knew about the Twisted Nether, then it is possible for him to get back there and back home, he needed to get there quickly, there was no telling what was going on back home and if his friends were alright.

"Human, I would…"

"Ichigo, my name is Ichigo." Said the substitute, interrupting her from talking.

She stopped only for a moment to acknowledge his name and was unperturbed by his interruption.

"Ichigo, I would not suggest you try and return through the Twisted Nether. Even in your current condition you wouldn't survive and even if you returned back to full strength, you still may not survive. That place is not meant to be treaded upon by mortals." Said Shadris.

Looking in his eyes thought she knew that her words would do little in the way of stopping him from going. She could see he was someone who would go against the rules if it meant doing what needs to be done, she had seen it in many other before. But even they couldn't compare to what this one was trying to do!

To enter the Twisted Nether and fight his way back home... Well, he _did_ survive in there for three days in a weakened state and with a broken arm, so who was she to judge if he would survive or not?

"I have to get back, there are people who need me; I can't abandon them." He said, determined to return to where he come from.

No matter how many Demons stood in front of him, he would cut them down, no matter how many miles he walked he would march forward, no matter how long it took, he would never stop until he reached it!

"Give me some time, and yourself some as well, once you're able to walk again without stumbling we'll talk again, but for now you must rest." Said Shandris.

She turned on her heels and made her way to the door. Beside her were Quintis and another Druid, but before she left she motioned for the Sentinels to follow, and in the end Ichigo was left alone in his room.

The sun had only past its zenith and he had only been awake for maybe an hour or so and already was feeling tired. It looked like he was on the recovery table again, he really needed to figure out why his Reiatsu isn't recovering as quickly as it should! He can't keep passing out like this!

Slowly he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him, he knew better to resist it, it would only slow his recovery down and he needed to get better before he went back into that hell hole and then make his way back home. His last thoughts were of Orihime and his hope that she was alright.

* * *

_Four Days Later_

Shandris was leaning against her railing and looking over the fortress which was named after her. It still was being repaired and brought back up to proper order.

For the rest of the week she had been digesting what she had been told by Ichigo.

About coming from another world, about being a _God of Death_ and wanting to return, but even with all her power and position she had none that could send him over the Greater Dark back to his people or his friends. The matters of the arcane and the Twisted Nether were not her domain, she had no idea where she could send him to deal with this problem.

She was half inclined to send her to Darnassas and speak with Tyrande and see if she could offer him aid. But she knew that the arcane was not her domain either, she needed to find someone she could send him to that could actually help him. She owed him for saving her forces and her stronghold, even though she kept him as a prisoner for a short while it was justified because of her suspicions.

Quintis was with the boy regularly, healing his wounds and performing a treatment that would allow his body to adapt to using Mana, it would take some time, a week at least, and from how the boy acted, he wanted to get back home very quickly.

She had spoken to Quintis about what they speak about during their sessions, and she was not surprised that the old Druid was learning all he could from Ichigo. Learning about the world of the Shinigami and Soul Society, which is what was basically the Emerald Dream back in his world.

She had also learned from Quintis that his sword isn't actually just a sword. It is actually a separate entity, a Zanpakuto as it is called, or Soul Cutter, and that inside was a spirit that was created as a manifestation of the boys own soul.

Just as she was about to retire for the evening Quintis made his way into her abode. He carried himself with the grace befit someone within the Cenarian Circle, but she could see with her sharp sense that he was tired. Constantly healing and trying to help the boy in being able to absorb ambient Mana was taxing, even for a druid such as him.

He took a seat near the table at the end of the room and pours himself a cup of water, she moved to make sure he was alright and not in need of medical attention himself. He took in the fresh water greedily and not wasting a single drop, and when he was done he went for another.

Shadris sat on the chair adjacent to his own, she looked him over and saw more clearly the defined black bags under his eyes. He was tired and was in need of rest, he had been going at it for five days straight and this was one of the few times he came to report to her about his findings on the boy. She trusted him enough not to guard him, but still she just wanted to make sure that he wasn't just playing them and biding his time to strike, but from the way Quintis acted and spoke about boys world and in such detail as well as the boy she was more than reassured that he was no threat.

"You should rest, you've been at it for nearly a week now, and the boy is completely healed from what I heard." Said Shadris, trying to get him to get the rest he needed without having to command him to do it.

He may be a Druid in the Cenarian Circle but that didn't mean she wouldn't order him to bed like a child.

"I would like nothing more than to sleep on my bed for a full night and wake up at dawn the day after tomorrow." He said with a smile, one which was shared with Shandris, but she could tell that he was lightening the mood to respectfully decline her request for rest. "But alas, I cannot. The boy still is not accepting the treatment as quickly as he should, that damn Spiritual Pressure of his is pushing out the Mana as I push it in and it's making my life difficult."

"Maybe you should have one of the others take care of it for a time, get your rest and start fresh." Said Shandris, but alas her request was denied again, Quintis leaned back into his seat and stared up at the ceiling and stroked his beard.

"It is not that I cannot do the task, it is that his own lack of control and power is making it difficult for me to do it right." Said Quintis, taking another deep gulp of the fresh water before pouring himself another cup. "The boy lacks discipline and needs to learn to control that power of his. Otherwise he will be nothing but a flame to bring in the moths, but these moths will be the unsavoury kind."

"His power is odd, I have spoken to a few of the Druid who say that they can sense it as they pass by his room, a pressure that seems to press down on them." Said Shandris, wondering just how powerful this boy could be and what heights his power could go.

Maybe he is a God as he says he is, but how powerful a God remains to be seen.

"True, but I can do little for him. He will likely be here tomorrow to ask for you to send him on his way." Said Quintis, a bit solemn of letting the boy go. Not that he was leaving; he knew that he needed to return home. After all he had family and friends that were in grave danger from this Aizen character. He was more glum about the fact that he was unable to help the boy use Mana to recover, it would help him as he travelled through the Twisted Nether he suppose. There was much ambient energy in that realm and he could draw upon it without risking himself falling unconscious and at the mercy of the Demons. "Maybe I should have called for help, maybe ask for a Mage to try the treatment on him. They are more skilled at the harnessing of Mana than I."

"Yes, a Mage would have been more preferable." Said Shandris, and as she finished she realized something. A Mage... A Mage could help him find his way back home! They were highly skilled in creating portals and gateways between different points, why didn't she think of it before? "I think I have just figured out how to help Ichigo."

* * *

_The Next Day_

Ichigo walked beside Quintis as they both strode through Feathermoon Stronghold, the fortress had been completely repaired last night and now everyone was getting back to their regular business.

And there was a sudden change in the air as Ichigo walked through the small fortress. The people were casting glances at him, but they weren't fearful look or angry glares, just acknowledging glances from the people as well as greetings and thank you's for his heroics during the Hatecrest attack on the Stronghold nearly a week ago. He wasn't one to be acknowledged for his deeds but he did feel kind of good knowing that he did good, even some of the Sentinels were treating him with some respect, a general nod and a blessing in their language on occasion, when he asked what they were saying, Quintis told him.

_"They are saying: __Elune watch over you__."_ And when he asked who Elune was, well Quintis could talk a mile a minutes, but he got the gist of it.

Goddess of the Moon, funny coincidence that, being watched over by the _moon goddess_ and having as Zanpakutō that was associated with the moon.

But all those things aside he was finally healed and ready to leave, but he didn't think that he was going to be leaving back for his world just yet. The way Quintis spoke to him before he was asked to follow him, it said that he had just only begun his journey in this new world.

As Ichigo walked up the step that led to Shandris Feathermoon's private quarters he wondered if she had been able to find out a way to send him home, and when he walked through the doorway to see her staring off across her stronghold and not paying attention to them as they entered spoke of two possible things.

She has just finished the preparations to whatever she is going to use to send him to the Twisted Nether or she hasn't found a way to send him back and in that she is currently still trying to figure out a way to send him back.

"Ichigo, I told you five days ago that if you gave yourself some time to heal I would give you a way home, sadly I have been unable to find of a way to send you back." She said, not bothering to turn around to say it to him, and from the tone of her voice she was apathetic to his plight of being stuck here. Ichigo was about move forward and shout as to why she can't send him back, but when she continued before he could speak up, he realized why. "The reason being is because I have no knowledge on the arcane. I do not create portals to that realm; none of my kind have done so in Ten Thousand Years for good reason." She turned around and walked towards the substitute. "My people suffered at their hand because we dabbled in the arcane and through our arrogance allowed the Demons to enter our world, nearly bringing it to an end. For the last Ten Thousand Years our kind has not dabbled in the arcane." Said Shadris.

It was then that Ichigo realized that they had no possible way of helping him. They did know how he got here; it's just that they weren't _skilled_ in the required art to send him back, just like him. He couldn't enter Soul Society or Hueco Mundo without the help of someone who could. But that begged the questioned, was there _someone_ here that _could_ help him. There were definitely humans here, as well as many other races from what he had been informed of by Quintis, so maybe she and her people _couldn't_ help him, but _others_ could.

"But there are others out there that have?" Asked Ichigo. "People who still work with arcane magic that can send me back to my home?"

At this question Shandris smiled. It looked like she had caught onto his line of thinking long before he came here, and this was just to get him along her line of thinking before she suggested it. She was a slippery little devil, just like Yoruichi, but Shandris acted professionally most of the time.

She turned around and walked over to her desk and pulled out a sheet of light brown paper. On it was a map, more specifically the map of this world, Azeroth. She tapped the map and it came to life, and instead of two continents one appeared.

From the title above it was called Kalimdor, and with another tap she pressed on a section in the sourthern-most part of the continent and instantly a green map of Feralas appeared before Ichigo's eyes, as well as Feathermoon Stronghold and a small indicator that represented him.

"This is a traveler's map; it has been enchanted with magic to allow you to make your way from here to you next destination." Said Shadris, she touched the map again and it zoomed out and showed the entirety of the continent again. "You will need to travel through Feralas, Thousand Needles, The Southern Barrens and finally Dustwallow Marsh before you reach your destination."

She tapped though the map to show him the regions he would need to traverse in order to reach his destination, Theramore Isle, a small island fortress located on the coast of Dustwallow Marsh. But from the way Thousand Needles and the Barrens looked and sounded it was likely going to be a very horrible trip for him.

"I don't take it you have something that can whisk me away to Theramore?" Asked Ichigo, only to see a sad smile on her face that told all he needed to know. "Figured as much."

"Sorry, we don't have any Hippogryphs at the moment, most are in Ashenvale and this is the best route for you to take without you getting killed."

"Okay, so who is in Theramore that can help me?" asked Ichigo

"Her name is Jaina Proudmoore, she is a very powerful Magi and Arcanist. She should be able to help you with your problem. After all, she is a kind soul, and I doubt she wouldn't want you to be trapped here against your will." Said Shandris, sitting in her chair and looking at the young man as he gazed at the map and the small city of Theramore.

"Anything I have to worry about while I'm going there?" Asked Ichigo, to which Shandris leaned back in her chair, and thought about it before replying.

"Tauren, Centaur, Gnolls, Harpies, Serpents, Scorpions, Hyenas, Quillboar, Orcs, Trolls…" She listed, and it was only because of Ichigo she stopped.

"Alright I get it; a lot of bad things are out there, just make sure I know where I'm stepping otherwise I'll get bitten by a snake or a scorpion."

"Don't worry, there are only Cloud Serpents in Thousand Needles and the Scorpions are only half as big as you." Said a smiling Shandris, Ichigo looked at her for a moment with a deadpanned look on his face before he turned to Quintis.

"You're going to fill me in on every little thing I might come across, and I don't care how insignificant you think it is, you tell me about it. The last thing I need is a Scorpion the size of a hyena crawling up my arse while I'm sleeping." At this both Shandris and Quintis laughed at his crude joke.

He may be going to be traveling through the most hellish places on this world, but there weren't going to let him die, that would speak ill of the Elves hospitality.

* * *

_The Next Day_

Ichigo stood at the docks of Feathermoon Stronghold, Zangetsu now back in his possession and attached to his back. Waiting for him were two separated groups.

The first being Shadris, Quintis and a few others who decided to see him off, and the other was the Captain of the Feathermoon Ferry, the ship that would take him to the Forgotten Coast and then he would begin his long walk to Theramore.

Ichigo wasn't expecting such a turnout. He guessed that they were grateful that he saved them against the Naga.

He walked over to speak with Shandris one last time before he departed, he could see she had a small pack in her hands and a small purse.

"I take it that Quintis informed you of all you need to watch out for during your travels?" Asked Shandris, a slight smirk on her face as she saw the trademark scowl appeared on his face.

He was too serious some times; he _really_ needed to act his age at least sometimes.

"Yes, including watching out for _Bog Beast_ in the Marshes. Oh, the fun I shall have when I run away from them..." Said Ichigo.

His words laced with sarcasm, which made Shandris chuckle to herself at the boys crude humor, before she held out the two bags toward him.

"You will need these on your journey, a bag of provisions and some gold." She explained, and watched as his eyes go wide in both disbelief and shock.

The first being that the bag look like it couldn't even hold anything more than a single loaf of bread and the fact the other bag had gold in it.

"I can't accept this, I…"

He tried to do so calmly and without sputtering about the fact that there was a bag full of what was likely hundreds thousands of Yen worth of gold in her hands. Although he knew that the system of currency in this world may be different from his own, he couldn't just take it off her hands like it was a trivial thing, but she stopped him before he could protest further.

"Ichigo, this is enough to get you a room at Theramore for a month, along with anymore supplies you'll need to survive your journey without you starving to death or being killed by whatever else is out there." She said, and kept them held out until Ichigo reluctantly took them off her hands.

She strapped them both to his sash, his eyes lingering of the small provisions bag he had been given. It was small, too small to have anything that would last him what may be a two or three week journey to Theramore Isle.

"How exactly is this bag meant to hold anything but the purse I have right now?" Asked Ichigo.

Shandris looked at him for a moment before she walked up and opened the bag and pulled out three pieces of fruit, loaf of bread and a flask of water, and watched in amusement as Ichigo gaped at her before he himself went into the bag and pulled out a belt holding flasks of red liquid.

"To answer your two questions, the bag has been enchanted to allow it to store more things. Depending on how powerful the magic was used it can store hundreds of items with ease, as long as it fits through the opening and is not damaged or torn it will not burst." She clarified on the bag and then moved on to the vials. "Those vials there are healing potions, they will heal your injuries and rejuvenate you when you are injured. There are several in your bag, red are Healing Potions, blue and Mana Potions, and yellow are Anti-Venom, just in case one of those scorpion stings you on the ass while you're sleeping."

That little joke brought some laughter to those who were there and a forced smile on Ichigo's face as he tried to keep himself from throttling the woman.

She was so much like Yoriuchi that it wasn't even funny! It would be worse if there was someone like Kisuke somewhere around here; that would be a nightmare.

He took a deep breath and looked back at Shandris and grasped her hand tightly and shook it. He did this as well and exchanged his good byes to Quintis, Harklane and Shyria, the Inn Keeper, gave him a hug and thanks him on behalf of all the people he saved. A bit flustered he thanked her.

When it was all said and done he moved up the plant leading to the deck of the ship and looked back down to the crowd, the Captain called for the ship to depart and the crew got to work on bringing the ship out of dock and into the open sea. Ichigo waved one final good bye to the people of Feathermoon Stronghold before they and the isle slowly drifted out of view, he would reach the Forgotten Coast in half an hour and then he would begin his walk to Theramore Isle and then his journey back home.

Thirty minutes later Ichigo was standing at the makeshift dock on the Forgotten Coast.

No one else there aside for a single short green skinned little creature with a smile that would give Mayuri Kurotsuchi a run for his money. He was holding that weird looking rod that was crackling with blue electricity.

Ichigo didn't give him a second thought and continued on his way towards the massive natural wall that had a winding path leading up the wall.

He started his journey as he usually did, alone and that is how it would be for the rest of this trip until he got home, no point in making friends here, he would stay here long enough to make any.

* * *

But unknown to him a certain Night Elf had hitched a ride on the Feathermoon Ferry, and as it pulled into the dock she had to depart before the person she was following got away.

She leaned over the side of the boat and looked down at the water below and grimaced. She flailed around trying to find perch on the side of the boat but found none.

And a single slip of the finger had her falling into the murky water below, which drew the ever smiling Goblin away from his invention and to the bow of the ship where a young Night Elf in green rags walked out of the ocean. Blue hair glued to her face with mud and water, but the glum look could still be seen from the way she slumped her shoulders as she walked out of the ankle deep water and into the muddy beach.

She stopped only for a moment to shook herself off like some dog and look around. She saw the Goblin and rushed over to him. She looked like she was in a big rush and he had no idea what was with this one. She stood in front of him and with that sweet and silky voice that all Night Elf woman were known for, sounded like a harp, being played by a tone deaf Ogre who was eager to get from the first note to the last in few seconds.

"Excuse me; have you seen a human walk by here? This tall, has orange hair, black shaggy cloth, big sword on his back, brown eyes, a scowl and is about my age, maybe a bit younger. Actually I don't know how old he is; maybe I should have tried to talk with him before he left..." She said, and before the Goblin could ask what the hell she was babbling about, she continued "Oh well, I'll ask him later, he is tall and is going to Theramore, his name is Ichigo, or something like that. It's a weird name for a human, but I haven't met many humans before, so who am I to know what they name themselves. All human names are weird. What's your name?"

Before Zorbin could even say a single syllable of his name she was at it again.

"Oh wait, I still have to find him, he could be anywhere by now that I have been talking to you, I shouldn't let people distract me like that!" She said running her hands through her muddy hair to get it out of her face and to express her exasperation. "You have to tell me where he is, I need to find him! Have you seen him? He came off the Ferry only a few minutes ago, do you know where he is?"

Zorbon looked at the woman that had practically leaped down her throat and wondered if this was one of those weird ones. You know, those very rare ones that every race has, he remembered one time seeing a human who thought he was a Troll, wore a mask and ran around in his underwear.

It was funny for the first month or so, but then it got weird, _really_ weird... The dumb bastard actually tried to get into Zul'Farrak to mingle with the natives. He survived but still...

She could be one of those types, not _crazy_, just _weird_.

He raised his arm and pointed to the natural wall and when she looked over she narrowed her eyes and saw someone trekking up the cliff-side steps. She beamed when she saw him and with a smile and a wave she ran off to catch up to the human.

"What the hell is wrong with people these days?" Said Zorbon, before he turned back to his newest invention, the Zorbon Ultra-Shrinker.

He would bring those damn Giants down to size or two, all he needed now was a complete idiot to use it on them!

Damn it, a complete idiot just took off a few seconds ago! Oh well, guess he just have to wait for some other adventurer to come by and take him up on his offer.

* * *

**Don't forget to visit my profile and vote on who should fight who in the upcoming chapters and to review and have your say on if Ichigo should learn a profession and take up a class of sorts**


	5. Chapter 04: My First Group!

**Hello everyone, I hope you had an enjoyable week, I did, sort off.**

**There are several things I want to tell you now, the first is that the new poll on my Profile still needs votes, come on people, who wants to see an epic fight between the characters of Soul Society and Warcraft, check out my profile and vote on who should fight who from my Story in United Against the Legion of Flames.**

**On another Note I would like to thank Leapinglemur for providing an OC for this chapter, Raizzariza (Troll Rogue, Privateer of the Blackwater Raiders and Steamwheddle Cartel). He along with many other that were provided by this esteemed Author will provide me the privilege of giving them life on this story. As Zaralann provided Adelina in the last chapter.**

**Now on with the Reviews**

**Zaralann: Thank you, So Engineering and Tailoring, that's an interesting combo, he can fix his cloths and make cool gadgets. No powers huh, just get stronger and then become a bad-ass shinigami he is suppose to be. Ditto.**

**ultima-owner: yes, I have that on my main, it really brings in the cash, thank you for your suggestion.**

**IchigoMoonCutter: Thank you for analyzing the first two chapters and then pointing out that I got it right, Awesome, at first I thought you were criticizing me on making Ichigo to strong, but it seems I got it just right, yeah depression and him go together like peanut butter and jelly. And its not just about him not returning, there are gonna be things that will affect him deeply as the story goes.**

**Guest: One Night Elf in the Bleach Universe, so you have already decided huh, well keep watching and you will see what happens.**

**Raximus: Thank you, and I will**

**Leapinglemur:Thank you, and Alchemy, yeah doesn't seem like the chemistry type, but still thanks for the input, and the class as a Paladin, and a golden Getsuga Tensho, yeah that would be cool and him using Avenging Wrath, bad-ass. Also I would like to thank you for letting me use your OC's for this story, I hope you like what I did with him, and if it isn't how you like it let me know and I'll try to make him more to your specifications.**

**Tundrafire: No problem, I like leaving hints on what will happen to Ichigo as he develops through this story.**

**alchemists19: Don't worry, I'm here now, you can read.**

**saddas74: Engineering as well, wow looks like it is in the lead, thanks and let me know if I fall of the path a bit, I would like to keep it on that road from the beginning. And eventually develop him how I want him to be.**

**nisemono96: So a harem with two girls, that could be fun, already have one elf and all i need is another, you should talk to Zaralann, you and him have, how would you say, a shared interest in who Ichigo is interested in. Your suggestion will not be forgotten, in fact you've just given me more reason to persue a sort of love triangle between Ichigo and two main characters that will be featured in this story as it goes.**

**Reaper7: Well here the update and I am glad you like it, just let me know when you start not to, that way i can make improvements here and there to spruss things up.**

**gourmetic313: A Warrior, A Paladin or a Druid, hmmm, any of them he could be good in, a Warrior he already is and with some work he could be a real ass kicker, and a paladin, with his powers Ichigo would kick ass with holy fire and a druid, well I have this fantasy with him with the powers of a druid, awesome. Definitely keep these in mind, especially the last one.**

**Alright, now that your reviews are answered, I will move on and get on with the story**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 04: My First Group!**

Feralas was known as a very lush forest in the southernmost part of Kalimdor.

The land is full of many varieties of wildlife and fauna, most of which are very dangerous and in most cases the latter is far worse, for not all plants are bound to the earth and are not as peaceful as one would think. For thousands of years this forest has existed and flourished against all odd and efforts of the ones who seek to oppress it, whether it is the now decaying ruins of the once great Highborne civilization, or even the Horde and Alliance who try to stake claim over the verdant land.

This place has outlasted all things of flesh and blood or stone and mortar, and would continue to do so for many more millenniums to come.

But something is brewing within the walls of the ancient city known as Dire Maul, dark forces are stirring within and even the cities former and current rulers are not powerful enough to hold back the unknown adversary that assails them.

It has been long since a demonic host has made appearance on Azeroth. Many of them are scattered across the world, trapped here with no way to return to their domain and slowly they wither away and try to survive in a world where they will only be hunted and exterminated, as they _should_ be.

But now a force has gathered and their plans cannot be for the good of this world. If someone does not rise up to challenge this new threat then there may be no one who can stop what may be the next crusade of the Burning Legion.

* * *

**Feralas, Main Road**

Ichigo was annoyed right now.

Though the emotion was very easy for anyone to take noticed of, the reason behind his irritation however could be attributed to so many things in the forest, for this place was not meant to have someone such as him living within it. After all, survival of the fittest is the only law of the jungle.

He had been walking for most of the day now, it was past noon and with every single step he took his irritation grew.

One would think that he was angry that he was stuck in the middle of the forest and with nothing to do but swat away mosquitoes and dodge anything that might want to try and munch down on him. But luckily because of his Reiatsu the animals had kept their distance from him, so his anger was not because of the local wildlife.

Then maybe it was the fact that the heat and humidity was something that would drive most men mad? True, the heat and climate were bad, but not as bad as it could be. He had travelled through the deserts of Heuco Mundo and this wasn't as bad as that. So if it was not the climate that caused him such grief, then what was?

"Ow! Stupid thorn." A very audible whisper could easily be heard from a few meters behind Ichigo, whose brow twisted in irritation for what may be the hundredth time in the last few hours.

And the reason was as clear as it could possibly be.

He was being followed.

But the fact that his pursuer was one of the most hopeless and noisiest people he had seen in a stealthy pursued. Hell, even that fat guy from the Second Division _wasn't as bad_ as the woman following him.

For the last six hour he had done nothing but listen to this woman complain about getting dirty, getting her hair caught in a branch, about getting pricked by a thorn, the climate being so hot...

So damn fucking annoying!

It would have been better if she was some assassin who was quiet! Then he wouldn't be in such a terrible mood...

He just wondered _where_ he could have picked up this straggler from?

He hadn't met a single person since he took to the road... Maybe it was someone from Feathermoon Stronghold?

_'Maybe Shandris sent someone to keep tabs on me?' _

But he doubted that. She wouldn't send someone out that couldn't know how to _keep their mouth shut_, after all _what_ kind of tracker would you be if you couldn't keep your mouth shut when tracking your prey? Even if she _did_, she wouldn't send them to keep an eye on him from a distance!

Ichigo heard a bush shake beside him and he stopped immediately.

Either this person thought that _he_ was a complete idiot, or the person in the bush _was_ a _complete idiot_. And right now he was going to the latter of his two theories.

He turned to it and stared at it pointedly. There was no movement from the small shrub, but he knew that someone was in there. He could feel it in his very being that told him that there was someone waiting in that bush. He _knew_ it! The person in it _knew_ it! And likely the _bush_ in _some_ sort of manner _knew_ it as well.

"Come out, now." Said Ichigo, his tone commanding and offering the person no chance, _if_ they decided to answer, to refuse. When no one appeared he decided to take matters into his own hands, which he cracked before he made his move.

Moving towards the bush he stood in front of it for a moment and glared down at the shrub as if it had offended him in some manner. But it was merely in the way of the person who hid beneath its leaves.

Ichigo shot his hands forward and quickly searched through the leaves and branches looking for someone. And when his hands got hold of something that _wasn't_ a leaf or a twig he pulled it out.

From the green bush a young Night Elf around his age appeared. She wore ragged green robes and had long dirty blue hair and had tattoos over her glowing eyes.

Ichigo held her off the ground by her arms and she looked at him in surprise before it turned to a worried smile. Ichigo's scowled lessoned a little. She was the girl he saved a week ago from the Naga that attacked, he remembered she was also the one who saved him from getting hurt during the fight.

"Hi there… funny seeing you out here..." She said nervously.

Which made Ichigo's scowling brow rise. He put her back on her own two feet and stepped back.

When she was on the ground she swayed and moved around anxiously, her obvious anxiety about being caught as clear as the sun that peaked through the canopies of the forest.

"Why are you following me?" Ichigo asked.

From the face she made, she either was worried he would do something or was shocked that she had been found out, and from the words that came out of her mouth next, it was obviously the latter before the former.

"_You kne_… I mean I wasn't following you!" She sputtered out quickly, waving her hands in front of her. Ichigo raised his brow once more. This girl was _weird_. From all the Elves he met they were more formal and calm, but this girl was giddy and nervous. "I was just going for a walk! That's right, a walk! Nothing suspicious about that!"

"I know you were following me, I heard you a while back." Said Ichigo, which made the emotions of shock passed over her features before she went red with embarrassment. Ichigo looked on at her and could see that though she had been following him, she probably didn't mean any harm. "You should go home."

"What? But I can't it's too dangerous! Stonetalon is far from here, I'll never make it!" She exclaimed.

Ichigo had no idea what she was talking about. He didn't know where the place she called home was, but it definitely wasn't Feathermoon Stronghold.

But still she couldn't go with him.

"Just go back the way you came from Feathermoon Stronghold, you should make it back before nightfall and hopefully the Ferry will be there to pick you up." Said Ichigo, to which she was surprised.

"How did you know I was from Feathermoon Stronghold?" She asked.

Ichigo sweet dropped. Did she even realise that it was him who saved her from that Naga? Or that he saw her a few times when he was stretching his legs while walking around the fortress?

"I remember seeing you there a few time and I also remember saving you from that Naga." When those words left his mouth she looked at him for a moment before lowering her head and mumbling something that he couldn't quite hear. "What did you say?"

"Why did you save me?" She asked meekly, to which Ichigo looked at her oddly.

Why _wouldn't_ he save her? She was in danger and he acted there was nothing else to it! Maybe she had self-conscious issues?

"Because I wanted to." Said Ichigo, she looked up at him and saw his deep brown eyes looking right into hers. "You were in danger and I acted, I can't see people getting hurt when there is something I can do about it."

She smiled and looked down. She was right he _was_ a kind person. Just as she raised her head, she could see that he lost his scowl and was looking at her in a calm civil manner. She looked into his eyes once more and saw them no longer hard and fierce, but gentle and kind.

"Listen, you should go back, there isn't anything out here for you. It's dangerous being in a place like this." Said Ichigo.

She lowered her head for a moment and as if in contemplating his words. She remained so for a while. When she looked up and into his warm brown eyes and couldn't refuse his request, she nodded to him, almost begrudgingly.

She turned around and began to make her way back the way she came. Ichigo could see she was not happy about leaving but he knew it was for the best. He couldn't take her with him, he didn't have enough supplies on him for two people and he couldn't risk someone else coming with him.

And she had been through enough already without him bringing more trouble down on her.

He had already caused enough trouble for others; he didn't need to get someone killed because of his foolishness. She's better off not being around him, and he's better off only worrying about his own hide rather than trying to protect someone from things he had no idea about.

He turned away from her retreating figure and continued on his way. He still had a long road ahead of him and it had only just begun.

He pulled out the map and looked at where he was, not too far from Dire Maul it would seem, he frowned he hoped he wouldn't come in contact with these Ogres he was warned about.

* * *

Adelina however was having different thoughts on that.

When she first came here she had no one but herself, no one looked out for her or cared about her. She had no place to really call home nor did she have anyone to truly call a friend. She was the _epitome_ of a lonely person.

She had done nothing but exist in this world with nothing else. She lost her home when her parents were taken from her. She never made any friends because of the way she acted and behaved, and her teachers and most Night Elves in general thought of her as some sort of fool that shouldn't be touched because of the fear that her foolishness might be contagious.

That didn't even change when she arrived in Feathermoon Stronghold. They didn't care that she got herself trapped there with the rest of them, and every time she tried to do something they would always look at her and berate her on what she does, and when the attack began no one was there to help her, but _him_.

_He_ came to her rescue on more than one occasion, and on both of them _he_ had reassured her that she would be okay and that they wouldn't hurt her. How could she let a person like _that_ just leave without her trying to get to know who _he_ is? To let someone who may be one of the _only_ people to be her friend, leaving without so much as a word of thanks...

_He_ bled for _her_, _he_ risked _his_ life to save _her_ and she had done _nothing_ than just try to remember _his_ name...

But she wanted _more_ than that! She wanted to know _who he was_ and prove that he _didn't_ just save her on a chance or just to look like a big deal.

When she stared into his eyes she could see the _man_ he was. She saw two sides to him: the hardened warrior who would fight those who do wrong and believe and uphold what was right, and on the other side, she saw a kind hearted young man who would _protect_ not only her, but _anyone_ who he believes _should_ be protected.

She stopped after only a minute or two of walking.

The thoughts rushing through her head as to _why_ she followed him. She didn't do it to _say _'_thank you_' for what he did. She wanted to meet him and learn of him, _yes_, but there was more to this than just her need to thank him for saving her pitiful existence. Her thoughts halted at that realization and there it was.

_Her existence_.

She had _none_ or only a _shadow_ of one... She had been given a chance to continue on living, but to do what? She had nothing but a crappy store on the isle that was getting her nowhere and she didn't want to go home as much as she complained about wanting to. Even if she _did_ return she would still have a low and miserable existence.

So _why_ did she want to follow after him? Why did she want to try and be his friend?

Because she wanted purpose in her life.

Purpose _beyond_ making sheathes and quivers for warriors who gave her nothing but a few coins and only a few words on what they wanted before leaving only to be seen again when they want something else.

But he _wasn't_ like that! He would _listen_ to her, he spoke to her like a person and even though he sent her away he did not do it because he didn't _want_ her in his company, but because he was _looking out for her_! He didn't know her name and apart from that one meeting he had done _more_ for her than _anyone_ else had done in her whole life.

She felt like she wanted to cry that very moment.

There was someone out there who _cared_ about her. Even though it was because of his nature, she still couldn't just let someone like that leave to never be seen again. She couldn't _live_ with herself if she let that happen!

This was her only chance!

To find someone she could talk with, someone to laugh with; someone to call a _friend_... She couldn't stop a lone tear from falling from her eye. She couldn't let him leave, she would follow and when she was brave enough she would speak with him.

Her resolve found, she turned on her heals and paced her way down the road, ready to continue her pursuit of the person she knew would give her life purpose.

Who would protect her and she would become someone that her parents would be proud of.

Someone who will make a difference in this world.

* * *

**The Next Day**

* * *

**One Mile South of Dire Maul**

Ichigo had spent the first night in the wilderness hiding under a root and watching as the rain pour down from the leaves, luckily it was dry enough underneath for him to get some sleep and still warm enough that he didn't need a blanket.

It was dawn now and he had just finished having breakfast... Or what _counted_ as breakfast. A bit of fresh fruit and some bread may not have been ideal but it was better than nothing. He just hoped that it all stayed fresh long enough for him to reach some place where he could restock. He knew he had a fair amount, but still he would need more: a stream to refill his water –which shouldn't be too hard– and a grocer to resupply. He doubted he would find one of those in a place like this.

He spent most of the morning going cross country. The path he was on seemed to have been washed away, but luckily his map kept him on the right course.

Apart from dealing with the rain he was now dealing with humidity and mosquitoes, which were about as big as his thumb! What other surprises does this place have in store for him? *smack* if these damn Mosquitos don't do him in first.

For the most part he was thinking about how something like this could exist. He could never believe that he had been transported to a completely alien world that was filled with things out of fairy tale books: Elves, Demons, Ogres, _walking trees_...

Man, he really couldn't believe it!

At first he thought this was all a dream...

Some sort of _horribly crazy_ dream that he _couldn't_ wake up from! But two weeks here and he hadn't woken up yet... Guess that proves this place is real, and from what Shandris and Quintis told him, he could believe them. He could feel the Mana in the air.

Those treatments Quintis had been giving him had really helped. He felt like a battery that was using two different energy sources: one being Reiatsu and the other being Mana.

He wondered if he could create fireballs or something like that with enough concentration. That wouldn't be half bad! Being able to do Magic, _actual_ Magic that you see in the movies! Where you can levitate and cast fireballs at the enemy! Hell, if he was here long enough he might ask if they could teach him a trick or two before he left! Would be a good little trick to have up his sleeve...

Just as he was passing along a small ruined wall he heard something off in the distance. It was familiar... He had heard it many times before... In his trip to Soul Society and during his short stay in Heuco Mundo.

Someone was fighting.

And based on the amount of noise, there were a lot of them.

He turned towards the noise and rushed off to see what was happening. He could hear it over a small hill. As he drew nearer he began to see more ruined buildings and fallen stones. He realised now that he was close to Dire Maul, which meant that someone was likely antagonising the cities' current population, the Ogres.

He knew from Quintis that the Ogres were stupid and violent creatures, but even so not to be underestimated. They may lack in intelligence they make up for in strength and the stubbornness to keep attacking until you are dead or it is.

* * *

Ichigo stood atop the hill and behind a small stone column as he watched the battle that was taking place below.

And what a battle it was!

Below him he saw a battle between two separate forces. The first being the Gordoc Ogres of Dire Maul and the other from what he knew from Quintis was the forces of the Horde.

The Ogres were large fat yet physically built blue skinned creatures. Some with two eyes others with only one, some with one head and other with two, some with clubs others with staffs, but all they wore were some rags as loin cloths and armour that barely fit over their massive gut. While they were only scarcely unique in the fact some had one too many head or one to few eyes or too many with both head put together, they looked and it would seem acted... _alike_.

But the warriors of the Horde it seemed were more balanced in combat efficiency than their adversaries.

Among them there were five individuals from three separate races.

Two Taurens as he could see, large bovine humanoids with hooves and horns. One appeared to be a man and the other woman, and from their armaments it showed that their intended professions were vastly different.

The male had dark fur and a golden noise ring. His physical stature could only be described as _large_. He wore thick metal armour over his entire bulky form, black and maroon plates glistened in the tranquil light and barely hindered his movements as he turned and twisted towards other foes, and on his back was a great tattered maroon cape. An odd helm adored his head, the same colour as his armour and made of the same material, it sat over the top of his head and around both his horns that bent forwards. He looked like some sort of hero from a fairy tale!

His weapon of choice was a _massive_ gun, which was more like a massive _shot_gun. Over the main barrel and running along its lengths were a half cylindrical cover, and another smaller one at the front of the gun on top of the larger which bent upwards slightly. While at the base of the gun was a savage looking bayonet, which looked more like a butcher knife. One would think with a gun like that it wouldn't be used often, they would be wrong from the fact it was covered in blood and torn flesh.

The Tauren Hunter turned and fired the hulking weapon at an approaching Ogre. A flash and a resounding crack of the hammer striking the back of the gun and the sound of the combustible powder within the gun made one think it was a _cannon_ rather than a gun. The damage that was done made Ichigo think exactly that. A large hole appeared in the creature's chest, a large hole in its chest and a great amount of blood and gore splatter around and behind it. It couldn't even stay on its feet for the force was great enough to knock it from its feet and send it to the ground in a heap.

The second Tauren was female. She looked less savage that the male. She had long braided hair and short horns and a much gentler feature.

She wore long robes of gold and green which went to her hooves, on her shoulders were simple wooden shoulder-pads with intricate carvings etched into them. She had a long wooden crooked staff in her hands that had a glowing sapphire orb in the middle. Which was glowing very brightly, and along the surface of the wooden staff were more orbs of varying sizes, almost like it was sap seeping out of the wood rather than gems. But even though it was her weapon she opted to use her magic.

In and around her hands and arms was a green glow, one that he recognised immediately as the power of the Druids. She must be similar to Quintis, and from the way she was using it she wasn't using it to heal. From around the feet of the charging Ogres roots and vines pooped out and wrapped themselves around their short stumpy legs and their thorns dug painfully into their flesh, either tripping them or holding them at bay. Then she motioned her hand towards an attacking ogre and from her palm a burst of energy shot out of her hand, Ichigo thought it was some sort of Cero, the ogre was caught in the attack and knocked off his feet and covered in some very bad burns, then the Druid turned towards another ogre and threw him away with a gust of wind.

Then there were the two blue skinned creatures just a small distance away from the Tauren. From what Ichigo remembered they were Trolls. Blue fur, tusks, wild hair and in some cases cannibals. How _lovely_...

The male looked right as Ichigo thought, while the female looked a lot better in looks department than her male counterpart did. Although he wouldn't know, the guy might be the best looking troll out there!

They fought close to one another just like the two Tauren, although just like them they were very different when it came to their appearances and how they fought against their foes.

The male troll was an up close and personal fighter. He showed this off with the two swords in his hands.

The first blade was a short sword-breaker, maybe as long as the troll's arm. Along one edge of the blade were small slots much like the teeth of a comb. With it the troll was able to catch any bladed weapons such as swords or axes in the slots and with a yank, knock the attacker off balance and leave them open to an attack with his other sword.

Which was a finely crafted rapier. A long yet narrow doubled edged blade with a very elaborate hilt, which protected the users hand from being struck with a hand guard that connected to the cross guard. With the rapier he stabbed the Ogre though its expose side and quickly pulling it free, leaving only a three centimetre wide wound in its side. It didn't even scream or acknowledge the attack before it fell to the ground dead, and no sooner had he killed it did he move onto another target, swinging his sword breaker to catch their own weapon and then use it to throw them off balance and finish them with his rapier.

The female Troll fought those around her with magic rather than the mace holstered at her hip. And still contrary to the male of her species, who wore form-fitting leather armour and clothing, she wore very little compared to him. In fact the _only_ thing Ichigo could say she wore was a very tight blouse of blue and gold. While a simple yet decorative loincloth covered he front and rear. Clipped to her shoulders and wrapped around her neck was a long brown cloak that billowed behind her as she cast deadly spells at the hulking blue skinned beasts around her. She had wild red hair and elongated ears similar to the Night Elves and a deep aqua shade of short fur.

With a chant her hands were doused in electricity, and with a thrust a ball of lightning shot out of them. When it struck the Ogre he was consumed with a brilliant flash and the next thing they saw was his charred remains' on the ground twitching, as the electrical current continued to course through his body even after death. Then, as one snuck up on her she turned to face it, as she dodged the club meant to bash in her skull and shot her palm forward and in an instant its head was set alight with magical flame. Its screams died quickly as its lips and flesh with what was likely its small brain disintegrated into nothing. The Ogre fell forward and she stepped aside as it did, giving it only a sideway glance before turning towards another group of Ogres charging her way. She raised her hands and around her strange totems raised themselves from the earth, each radiating a unique colour that associated with a different element and purpose.

Ichigo turned his attention away from them to look at the last member of the group, and from what he saw, likely the most savage and dangerous of the entire group.

He was an Orc. Ichigo didn't have to recall anything about what he knew about what they looked like, he could tell just by the way he acted and fought that he was a member of the green skinned killing machine race of humanoids.

He was a hulking thing, a large muscular physique and taller than Ichigo by a good head or two. His armour was faded red plates that covered nearly all his body save for his shaved head, which had an expression of pure rage as it twisted into a savage snarl. On his shoulder were large spiked pauldrons that appeared large enough to protect his head from an attack from his flank. Attached to his back were two large spiked red and gold crescents that formed a sort of halo around the back of the Orc's head.

While his appearance and stature were intimidating, it was his weapon that made Ichigo's blood run cold. He had a large axe, a metre or so long, and with a simple wooden shaft with a double sided metal axe head. On one side was a large serrated axe head that was covered in blood and had green runic marking along the flat surface, and on the other was a sharp straight edge that shot upwards like a dagger.

With a single swing he cut open an Ogres chest, and lopped off another's arm, but it didn't stop him from continuing the slaughter. With a downward chop swing he split an ogres head in two and a good majority of its chest before he moved on to bury it into another Ogre's chest with equal amount of ferocity.

Ichigo watched as they were surrounded by dozens of Ogres, who were charging in with the intentions to _kill_ those who trespass on their land. Large mallets and axes in their hands and further back Ogre-Magi were preparing to send lethal spells towards the group from a distance. Ichigo scowled as he watch the scene below him. He was having some trouble just sitting there and watching as these people fight for dear life against these peanut brained tubs of lard.

He remembered that he should avoid the Horde at all cost. The Orcs and Trolls would not hesitate to kill him for trespassing in their territory, and from the stories he's heard about them he was inclined to agree. But he was told that the Tauren were more civil when it came to the Alliance. They wouldn't attack unless attacked. But still, going in there and trying to help them might not be a good idea. Sure, he would be helping them, but they may not want his help and just try to off him when the Ogres were all dead.

He then saw that the male Troll had over stepped himself and was now separate from his fellow companion. From what he saw the Troll wouldn't be able to hold off _that _many opponents alone, he needed help.

Ichigo growled to himself before running hand through his hair. Why did this have to get so complicated? Why was it that he had to always be the hero who rushes in to save someone's ass?

He grabbed hold of Zangetsu and pulled it from his back, the white cloth falling away from the blade as it was drawn, and with another deep breath he charge forward ready to offer what assistance he could and hope they don't decide to kill him later.

* * *

Raizzariza, that was his name, was a very skilled and deadly assassin who worked for the Steamwheedle Cartel as a privateer. He served as one of Baron Revilgaz's top assassins and warriors, as well as his number one when it came to bringing in money for mercenary work.

That is why he was here, to help out with a mission into Dire Maul.

They said that a small demonic force has set up shop inside. For a nice sum he was hired along with a few warriors to go in and clear out the ruined city and learn about what was going on. Sadly everything went pear shaped after they got to close to the city.

The Ogres were outside the city in force, _a lot_ more than reported when they arrived in Camp Mojache. In fact, it looked like the _entire tribe_ was here and waiting for them to arrive.

His companions were good, he knew the Tauren Hunter from previous association, and the other three were utterly annihilating the Ogres in droves. But even so they were outnumbered and the enemy was closing in on them from all sides.

_'Damn it!'_ He thought to himself.

He didn't realise how far he drifted away from Shikil'hi and now he was surrounded on all sides. Which was _bad_! He could take on a single opponent with ease but more than one and it got tricky. He didn't known if he could last long or at all against _so many_.

He ducked under an axe meant to take his head off. With his rapier he stabbed over his shoulder and pierced through the Ogre's eyeball and into its brain.

A known fact that most people don't take into account is that an Ogre's brain is actually _bigger_ than that of normal humans. And the reason they are _dumb_ is _because_ they are raised to be _subservient_ to the strongest and don't have any educational system within the clan save for learning to hunt and cook. Most of the time the strongest is a _complete_ retard, but on occasion there are those who have some _shred_ of intelligence. But they are usually Magi or Sorcerers and because of their exposure to the Arcane have granted them a greater mental acuity.

But on the topic of an Ogre having a blade through its head. It didn't matter if its brain _was_ the size of a walnut or _not_, it was _still_ as good as _dead_. With a quickly tug he pulled his blade free and moved onto defending himself from the others.

He raised his sword-breaker to halt another axe, and when the edge embedded itself between the slots on the blade he twisted it and locked the weapon into his own. With his rapier he struck at the Ogre's throat, the tip of his blade cutting open its jugular and a large flow of blood painted the ogres blue skin a new colour. Twisting his sword-breaker he released the axe and used it to deflect another incoming attack, this time an overhead swing from side.

But the blow was a heavy one and he couldn't stop it entirely. His sword-breaker and the axe were forced to the ground. Rai twisted to the side with the loss of his weapon and with his sword he was able to cut open Ogre's neck like the last one. He quickly tried to retrieve his sword-breaker but was forced to leap away from a large wooden mallet that threatened to crush his entire body.

Now there were _two_ Ogres between him and his sword-breaker! He didn't like that...

He saw a third coming to support them, and saw a possible opening that he could use. And when it came to him and an opening he did it in two ways: with _grace_ and _a lot_ of _showing off_.

He held his sword up and grabbed the blade between his fingertips and like a pseudo-javelin he threw it at the Ogre behind the closest two. The rapier flew forward and sunk itself into the Ogre's gut, the sword didn't kill it but it made it stop and roar in pain. Which was all Raizzariza needed to take out the first two.

He reached around and under the small cloak on his back and grasped hold of his other weapons. In a quick motion he drew two flintlock pistols. He took aim and fired.

A sudden bang and flash as the powder ignited in the guns and the bullets were forced from the barrels and towards their targets. In a fraction of a second it took the bullets to travel from the guns to the targets, two Ogres were dead. Their heads exploded in a shower of blood and brain matter. They slowly fell backwards and by that time Raizzariza was already moving forward.

He rushed towards his sword-breaker, while holstering his two spend pistols behind his back. He passed the still falling and _mostly_ headless Ogre's and came within range of the third Ogre, who drew back his axe and intended to cut off the Trolls head in a single swing. But it's hard to kill something as _elusive_ and _slippery_ as a Troll Rogue.

As the axe's edge neared his neck, Raizzariza leaned back and dropped low until he was on his knees and leaning back nearly ninety degrees. His momentum carried him far enough for him to reach his sword-breaker and with that back in his grasp he leapt back to his feet and whirled on the Ogre that had his rapier stuck in its gut like a needle in a pin cushion.

As Raizzariza turned he brought up his sword, when he saw the Ogre he watched as the axe move towards his head ones more. Swinging his sword he met the axe head on. The axe struck hard, nearly knocking the Troll off his feet, but Raizzariza was strong and with a twist he locked the axe's edge into the apertures of his sword. With another twist he was able to twist the axe around and by extension the Ogre's arm. Which forced the beast to twist its body to face away from the troll to lessen the strain on its arm, leaving itself open for Rai to boot him in the side of the knee.

A roar escaped Ogre's lips and it tumbled to the ground with its leg now bent at an improper angle, losing its axe in the process. Discarding the axe that was locked in the slot of his weapon Raizzariza attacked. He spun on his feet and with a single swing along the straight edge of his sword-breaker cut off the Ogre's head. It flew from its shoulders and a geyser of blood erupted from the neck.

The Ogre fell onto is back, dead.

Moving forward Rai retrieved his rapier from the Ogre's stomach and flicked the blood off the edge of both his blades. As he did this he turned to see another group of Ogres charging in to cut him to ribbons. Pulling back his sword-breaker and positioning his rapier in front he waited for them.

But he didn't have to worry about them, for in a matter of seconds all three had been cut down. But it was not by his blade that they fell.

The first Ogre was thrown forward and off its feet by an unknown force and when it landed face first on the ground the force that threw it to the ground was visible for all to see. A large cleaver like sword was embedded in its back.

The sword was a mix between black and silver, yet it somehow still absorbed the light that existed around it. On the hilt of the blade was a thin white cloth that extended past the two Ogres and to its wielder who stood a few metres behind them.

With a tug the sword was pulled free from the Ogre's back and back into the young _human's_ hand. With it he dispatched the two flabbergasted Ogres in two strikes. The first was a downward slash that cut through the Ogre's chest and the second was an upward slash that did the same to the other Ogre.

They both fell simultaneously to the boys attacks. He swung and handled the blade like an experience warrior, which surprised Raizzariza.

The Troll didn't think that a human so _small_ and likely so _young_ could wield a sword such as that with the _ease_ he wielded his rapier. A weapon like that would be difficult to wield, even for an experienced warrior, the weight and proportions of the weapon would make it difficult for someone to master it. The boy shot forward towards Raizzariza and with his massive cleaver-like sword he sunk it deep into the chest of another Ogre, the boy grimaced as he pulled the blade free and observed the blood that now painted his blade a different shade of black.

As he was looking down at the Ogre, another attacked from the boy's side.

Raizzariza raised his rapier and shot it forward. With perfect precision he thrust the sword past the front of the boys head and into the heart of the Ogre. Who remained motionless for a moment before it fell to the ground dead. Rai moved his sword away and the boy before looked the human over.

He was right about the boy being young. He barely looked like he was in the beginning of his teens; he was definitely younger than most warriors he's seen before. But the way he handled that sword showed that he knew how to fight, and from the determination in his eyes he wasn't one who backed down when a fight came his way.

Raizzariza smirked at the youth's fighting spirit, he would have asked if the boy had an Orc for a mother but when more Ogres started coming he put that aside for another time.

* * *

Ichigo turned to the Troll and watched him closely. He had stopped an Ogre from attacking his side, Ichigo could have stopped the hulking beast himself but the fact he was saved by the Troll showed that he may not try to kill him later on... Or he was just calling a truce for now until they were out of harm's way.

He turned to the sound of a roar and saw another group of Ogres rushing into the fray. Ichigo brought up Zangetsu and waited for them to come. He glanced to the side and saw the Troll doing the same. They shared a momentary glance and there was an unspoken conversation between the two of them.

* * *

Ichigo and Raizzariza charged towards the group of Ogres. There were seven in total that had an assortment of weapons.

Ichigo charged to the right hand side while Raizzariza went to the left. Their weapons at the ready and their targets marked out for them. Either one of them would have difficulty taking down so many at once, but with them both there they could easily take them down quick and without risk of being swarmed. The next few second would be the last moments of those poor Gordoc Ogres lives.

Ichigo met the first Ogre, who was wielding an axe, coming down to cut him in half from shoulder to groin. But a quick evade and he was within the Ogre's guard. With his blade pressed against the lengths of its stomach he was able to cut him down with a simple dash to the right, leaving the Ogre to try and keep its inside from falling out.

Ichigo then moved onto the next one. It attacked from his side and intended to repeat the move the last one attempted, but like the first it would fail. Ichigo met the axe with Zangetsu and _shattered_ the flimsy made weapon before bringing his sword down onto the Ogre's shoulder, nearly splitting the dumb brute in half.

He glanced to the left and saw the third Ogre coming at him with a spear, ready to impale him through the side, but Ichigo ripped his weapon from the Ogre's chest cavity and swung it at the pike. Knocking the metal tipped stick out of the way before stabbing Zangetsu toward the Ogre's heart. He then looked to his right to see yet _another_ coming in to attack. He removed the ogre from his blade and behind it he saw the troll had finished dispatching the three on the left, and was now there was only one left to deal with. Ichigo ran beside the troll and met the enemy head on.

This Ogre didn't have the same blue colouration to its skin as the others had, it was a more pinkish colour similar to humans, and also it had armour. If you could call a girdle and a couple plates chained together that only covered its man boobs armour... And in both its hands were a pair of serrated axes. One on one with it could prove a challenge, but against these two they could defeat him in three simple steps:

First they needed to charge him side by side, so that way when he attacked they could meet him together rather than one at a time. Then as they approached, he attacked, raising both axes over his head as he swung them down to kill them both in a single fell swoop. But that was where step two came into play.

Raizzariza raised his sword-breaker while Ichigo raised Zangetsu, and both their blades met the serrated edge of the Ogre's axes.

Raizzariza locked the weapon into one of his sword's slots and twisted it out of the way, while Ichigo using the cloth on the hilt of his sword as a rope was able to wrap it around the Ogre's arm and trap his axe on top of Zangetsu. This left the Ogre open to the third and final step - the killing blow.

Without its weapons to defend itself it could only watch as the narrow rapier veered towards its skull. And in the instant it pierced the Ogre's skull, it was dead.

Unlocking his sword from the axe and removing the cloth from his arm the Rogue and Shinigami watched as the Ogre fell backward and onto the mossy earth, dead before it hit the ground. Looking around both could see that the battle was coming to an end.

The Ogres had cleared off, only a few remained because they couldn't run without getting shot in the back or cleaved in twain. Ichigo could see over fifty corpses around him. These guys _certainly_ knew how to handle themselves.

"Not bad, mon." Said the Troll, who was sheathing his swords at his side and walking up to Ichigo.

On closer inspection Ichigo could now get a good look at him. He was actually taller than he appeared, but he had a slouch that seemed to make him appear smaller. If he stood tall he would be around seven feet tall and maybe an inch or two. And he had long white hair that was tied into a braid and wrapped around his neck, likely to prevent it from getting in the way during a fight. And his face had a very wide smile on it, and the glint in his eyes meant he was about to try something or was just a mischievous guy.

"De way ya swing dat blade, it shows jus' how skilled ya are."

"Thanks." Said Ichigo. Looking around at the carnage around him, Ichigo noted a lot of bodies littering the ground, turning the soil dark and muddy with freshly spilt blood and nourishing the earth with the ash of those that had been burnt rather then cut apart. "I don't have to worry about you trying to eat me now am I?"

Ichigo watched as the Troll's eyes widened before he burst out laughing, hunching over even further and slapping his knee and then pointing at him. After a about fifteen seconds of laughing the Troll got a hold of himself and straightened up, slightly, before replying.

"Don' worry mon, the Darkspear Tribe aint cannibals, ya hide is safe!" He said wiping a tear from his eye, and looking up at Ichigo before extended his hand forward in greeting. Ichigo took it and they shook before Raizzariza introduced himself. "Name's Raizzariza, privateer of the Steamwheedle Cartel."

"Ichigo Kurosaki." The Substitute responded in kind, which made the Troll raise his brow at an unusual name which Ichigo seemed to have noticed "Yeah its kinds of odd, but it's normal where I am from."

"Ehh, who am I to judge? I don' even _like_ me name." said Raizzariza, shaking off the boy's explanation before he said. "So just call me Rai."

"Sure thing, now can I ask…" Said Ichigo, who looked over to the approaching group of warriors: one with a gun, another with a sword and two with magical powers. He couldn't help but feel at their mercy. "Do I have to worry about them?"

"Dem? Nah! Well, probably de Orc, and maybe Shikil'hi but for completely different reasons." He said with a smile. And from that smile he knew that whatever reason he had to be wary of them, both will _not_ going to sit well with him. "Give me a minute I'll talk wid' em."

Rai walked up the group and spoke with them quietly, leaving Ichigo to watch as they likely decide on what to do with him. A minute passed and the large gun wielding Tauren walked over to the boy, dwarfing him by a staggering eight foot nine inches.

"I am thankful that you save our companion here, but this is no place for you young one." Said the Tauren, Ichigo looked at him curiously; there was something about what he said that reminded him of something.

His voice deep and gravelly, and the way he handled that miniature cannon in his hands showed that he was more than strong enough to hold it while it blasts away.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to be camping here for a holiday, I'm just on my way to Theramore." Said Ichigo, speaking with the Tauren straight up in a more causal manner reserved for people who speak to one another about how their day is going.

"I see; then I suggest you be on your way. Otherwise you may have more than just Ogres to deal with." Said the Tauren.

Which peeked Ichigo's interest. He didn't like what he was going against and from what Quintis told him about the variety of things out there that could kill him, he didn't want to risk there being something he didn't mention.

"What's going on?"

The Tauren looked down at him and sighed. Obviously he didn't want to explain it to him, either because he was _young_ or a _human_, Ichigo didn't know.

"Demons have invaded Dire Maul, a lot of them. We have been assembled to deal with them and their leader before they break loose." Said the Tauren.

"Demons?" Said Ichigo, murmuring as he remembered the creature he fought against before he arrived her that giant winged Demon. "Tell me, is the leader a Dreadlord?"

Turok, as he was known by his companions, looked surprised by the boy's question. How could he have known that the enemy they were tracking down was a Dreadlord? There wasn't something right about this, he could feel something off about the boy, something he didn't noticed before.

"Yes." Said Turok.

And Ichigo slumped his head at the confirmation to his fears. He _knew_ that the Dreadlord that was leading the Demons that were trying to take over Dire Maul was the same that attacked him during his time in the Twisted Nether. This meant that he was the reason behind this attack. The Dreadlord had been brought here because of _him_! Had he not _accidentally_ activated that strange portal then neither he nor that Demon would be here and there wouldn't be a threat of a Demonic invasion!

The story that Quintis told him of how the Demons invaded this world and tried to destroy it... He _knew_ that if they can get a hold of the city they could use the same method that brought him here to allow more of their own to come here.

He couldn't allow that!

As much as it wasn't his problem what happened here, he was responsible for causing this.

"I want to join you in your hunt." Said Ichigo in all seriousness.

Which made Turok's eyes widen along with the others who were within earshot. Turok made a move to deny his request but the look in Ichigo's eyes made him hesitant for a moment. He could see the determination in them, but also power, the kind he didn't know, but none the less he couldn't allow the boy to come with them. He was not yet of age and even though he killed a few Ogres, he might not stand well against the other forces within the walls of Dire Maul.

"I am sorry young one, but I cannot allow you to come with us. You may be skilled, but this isn't your fight, go home." Said Turok.

He turned away from the boy and moved off with the group, but the next words out of the boy's mouth made him halt.

"Then let me repay you for saving me." Said Ichigo. Turok halted as he finished the sentence. So he remembers him then? He turned around and looked at the boy and he could see that he still carried that look in his eye. "For dragging me out of the river and patching me up for the Sentinels to find me."

"So you weren't unconscious as I recall? I'm surprised, you're back on your feet in only two weeks, and I thought you would have died." Said Turok, turning to face the human boy once more.

"Listen, you have your reasons for being here and so do I. So if you don't want me to go with you, fine. I'll do it alone, but know that I do intend to find that Demon before he does any more damaged that he already has." Said Ichigo.

Determination thick in his throat. Had the boy not proven himself just a few minutes ago against those Ogres, Turok would have called him a fool. But now he was still a fool, a brave fool.

"Alright." Said the Tauren begrudgingly.

Which made the others look on in shock. Even Rai was surprised that the old bull would allow him to come on the mission with them! True, the boy could fight but he was young, _very_ young. But he didn't know _why_ he wanted to find the Dreadlord... Likely some sort of grudge against their kind that must have been committed against his family when he was younger. He didn't know and even if that was the case he could sympathise with him, after all he had his own grudges in this world that he was looking to collect on, so if this was about revenge he couldn't really stand in his way.

"Turok, are you sure?" Asked the female Tauren, approaching him with a very concerned expression on her face.

Turok turned to her and nodded.

"Let's move, we have a long way to go before we can find the hole these Demon's crawled out of." Said Turok.

As he said that, Ichigo moved to follow them, but before any of them could make a single step a shout caught their attention.

"Wait!" Two things happened when that shout reached their ears. The first was the Horde warriors reached for their weapons and turned towards the possible threat, while Ichigo didn't move and simple face palmed as he recognized that voice. "You can't go in there, you'll be killed!"

A very young Night Elf girl had just leapt out of the bushes and ran up to Ichigo. With long blue hair and a torn and dirty green dress, and from what they could tell, she knew this young human boy. And from the look on his face, or how his hand was now firmly planted against it showed, he knew her.

"Why are you here? I told you to go home!" Roared Ichigo, chastising the young girl for not obeying his command for her to return home. Adelina recoiled slightly from his yell before she started to stammer and choke as she tried to reply.

"But… I couldn't let you leave! You could get yourself killed if you aren't careful!" She tried to argue.

Her voice timid and she tried to defend her actions, but was not doing so well at it.

"What does that have to do with you being out here?" Ichigo asked her, a bit forcefully.

True, he didn't want to upset the girl but he couldn't just allow her to be so careless when moving through a place like this. _She_ was the one who would get killed, not him!

"I know all about this place, I can lead you through it no problem!" She said with a toothy grin on her face and her hands on her hips, as if she had just won the argument, Ichigo's palm returned to his face before he responded.

"Just go home, I have to deal with a Demon before I can go to Theramore." Said Ichigo, running his hand from his face and through his hair before he turned away from her and moved back towards the group he will be accompanying.

"Wait!" She tried to call out to them, but they were already moving. Then she ran after them trying to get them to listen. "I can help! I promise, let me come with you!"

"What? Don' make us laugh girl, you got nothin' we need." Said Shikil'hi.

Only looking over her shoulder to address Adelina. But when a small root came up from under the ground and held the Shaman in place did the rest stop to look at the Elf. The Shaman ignited the roots and cleared them away from her ankle, the fire didn't burn her, but the fact that the Druid had the _audacity_ to try and _subdue_ her made her bristle with anger. The girl was _lucky_ she _didn't_ set her alight!

"I can help! I was taught well! I can be useful!" She pleaded with them, but mainly toward Ichigo.

Who was looking at her sceptically. He didn't want her here; it was likely _he_ would have to protect her from whatever they come across.

"Give us a reason." Said Turok.

Who _again_ received several surprised looks from the rest of the group as he was actually giving her a chance.

She beamed at the chance and then she decided to list all the reasons to why she should join them, a _long_ list.

"I can heal anything from a stab wound to a gash with little trouble, I can cook anything you give me, I can…"

This went on for about a minute. With them staring at her in utter disbelief... _How_ the hell could she believe she could do _half_ of the things she was suggesting? And when she brought out her leather goods, they all _cringed_ at the designs that were _imprinted_ on them. There was _nothing_ wrong with the work per say, but the fact that there were _bunnies_, _birds_ and _other animals_ on it made them hope they didn't have to resort to using her product as a secondary item in case theirs armour is damaged.

Slowly their attention was drifting away. The girl could talk a _mile_ _a minute_, yet that didn't make her monologue any the more quicker. It was only when an Ogre appeared just a few metres behind her that the group's interest piqued.

"Should we warn her?" Whispered Shikil'hi towards the Orc, who leaned down to respond.

"Nah, let's see if she notices _before_ hammer hits her." Said the armoured Orc.

Ichigo looked on at the Ogre for a few seconds and noticed that no one was moving to intercept it and Adelina –who had her eyes closed and was counting with her fingers– hadn't noticed it. He sighed to himself before he drew Zangetsu from his back and charged forward.

In the blink of an eye he was past Adelina and right in front of the Ogre, who didn't even let out a scream of pain or alarm as Ichigo cut a fatal gash into its chest. It fell to the ground with a light thud, leaving Ichigo with a bloody blade and none the wiser Night Elf, who just so happens to have finished speaking.

"So can I come along?" She asked, finally opening her eyes after reciting the reasons for her to tag along.

Ichigo looked at her as he walked past, which she took notice of and gave him and odd look before he re-joined the group, they looked at one another before Turok made the call.

"You can come." He said, everyone gave him a look... A _look_ that said only one thing: _'Ahhh, what the fuck?!'_. He didn't pay it any mind, but before Adelina could start jumping for joy he continued, this time speaking to Ichigo "But, you will have to watch for her."

"Wait! What?!" Exclaimed Ichigo.

But before he could argue anymore they were walking off, leaving a shocked Ichigo and a very happy Adelina.

"Great, now our baggage _has_ baggage..." Said the Orc.

Ichigo made to snap at him but was enveloped in a hug by Adelina, which nearly knocked him off his feet. He looked at her and saw her face was a few inches from his own and a big smile was on her face.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself, you won't have to worry about a thing!" She reassured him with as much assurance as she could.

But Ichigo was far from convinced about the girl's ability to keep herself from harm... And the next words that ran through his mind made that apparent.

_'This is bullshit!'_

* * *

**Alright that is a wrap, hope you liked it, and also check out my profile and vote on the poll and see who should fight who in the upcoming chapters of United Against the Legion of Flames. Read and Review and See you Later.**


	6. Chapter 05: Dungeon Running 101

**Hello everybody, sort for the slight delay in bringing in my story, try to do it every week but sometimes I just need more time to do things, and then make sure that everything is right.**

**Now as many of you know I have not been paying attention to my other story Lords of Warcraft, but do not fear, I will get to it soon, I just need to plan out the direction it will be going from now on, and I have a good Idea of how it can go, so do not fret I will continue on with it soon as I will on my other stories.**

**Also, I have removed the poll on my profile, although I was hoping to get some more people on it sadly I couldn't, I am however going to be putting up a poll later if Ichigo should get any powers or abilities, and leave it to you to decide.**

**Now On with the reviews**

**Zangetsu Ossan: Thank you and here is the next chapter, a little late but still, better late than never.**

**IchigoMoonCutter: Yes, he planning on bringing about a Burning Crusade, but they will have to stop him. As for the group, watch and see as the group starts to get to know Ichigo and he them.**

**Saddas74: Thank you, yeah I liked how I did that one, one of the few moments that I actually do something pretty cool. Adelina, yes, she is an interesting character, Zaralann really gave her a profile when he made her, a very funny girl she is and will continue to be. As for Ichigo finding out Turok saved him, it was in his choice of words, that's all giving you, so if you want to figure it out look at story a little more closely and you will pick it up. Yes Ichigo will learn a bit by travelling with them and fighting alongside them, and the dreadlord fight, oh man, that will be a great one to see. I would like to thank you for the match-ups, but sadly I have decided to make my own and their not gonna be one on one fights anymore, its gonna be kind of like a cluster-fuck against the Warcraft party.**

**Tundrafire: Yeah, it's funny, I try to keep the humour as much as I can, and after all it wouldn't be bleach without a little humour.**

**Cjkyuubi: Thank you, Yeah sadly their aren't so many of them around, but still most wow players rather play than right, I'm guilty of that, but still there are still some that are pretty good reads.**

**Reaper7: Yeah, it's gonna be fun having her tag along with Ichigo, and her quick, no, no, no, shes comic relief in this story and if you loved the ending and her character, just wait till you read the intro to this story, it's a hoot. You found a mistake in my writing…. *click* good bye world *BANG!***

**Hi, Im Jillyjamster, I will be taking over this story after my brother's untimely demise.**

**NIX'S WARDEN: He can go Bankai, but I'm keeping him out for a specific reason, that will addressed later on, as for using his mask to devour souls, that's a bit out of character for Ichigo, he would never eat a soul, no matter the circumstance, not even if it would save his life, he isn't a hollow, he has no love for those creatures and would never become like them.**

**Plums: I'm so sorry about the update schedule, sometimes you just miss the deadline and you know, as for the timeline it is set during Vanilla Wow, maybe about a year before the start of the Burning Crusade, give or take a month or two. I also like you warcraft story, Wizard Runemaster, very gritty and the fact you nuked Dumbledoor, nice.**

**Nisemono96: Don't worry, I was the same, give it some time and allow the music of the muses to flow through you and you may begin to create your own masterpieces on this sight with so many others. His shinigami duties are similar to that of the Shaman and Druid, maintaining the balance between the worlds, whether it is the emerald dream or the elemental planes, he maintains the balance of the world. And you references to all the classes were pretty good, but remember his Quincy powers were not awakened until he confronted another Quincy, so I might not put them in yet.**

**Guest #1: Yeah, they are kind of alike, you have to thank Zaralann for this character, she is fun to right, and the situations I put her in are priceless.**

**Leapinglemur: I am glad that I did your character justice; let me know if I make a little slip up**

**Ultima-owner: That she is, as will many other that Ichigo meets.**

**Transcendent Being Fan: Awesome I have a fan**

**No my friend, please understand that he has just been through technically the meat grinder, twice or possibly three time, four tops, so he would be a little beaten up. As for underpowering him, don't worry I have seen Ichigo fight the Lich King in other stories and I never felt it wasn't real, true there are characters that are a lot more powerful than a soul reaper, a lot. Don't worry a random noob aint gonna get him, not yet anyway. As for him not making a change, fuck that, he is gonna take the world by storm, I'm talking raids, title, woman, gear, legendary stuff, he is gonna be famous.**

**I have thought about his Hollow form, and I think I know of a way to put it in and develop it, but for now it is on the shelf until I decide to bring it down and use it. I assume that what your talking about when Ichigo is killing is the Naga, true he has killed someone before, but that was no without some monumental effort, both physically and mentally, he doesn't like killing, and he is fifteen now, so killing isn't something he would accustomed to. He is killing people, but they aren't human, and when he starts to realise that there is a distinct line between one life and another, he will realise that killing an orc is no different than killing a human.**

**As for him killing the naga leader, well that was a miniature Getsuga, the wind was mainly a by-product of the attack, kind of like an explosion, it can blow-up the ground but that's not what its designed to do.**

**Meech Macko: True he is a hybrid, but he doesn't know it and his Quincy powers haven't awakened, and remember his mother was technically human, all Quincy's are human, and he doesn't know at all yet she was a Quincy. Yep he still has those ruled that he lives by, but soon those will be tested. As for his combat skills, true he is a good swordsman, but remember when you not at you top game and fighting more than one opponent, if you fighting two opponents weaker than you at the same time, it is far from easy. **

**Don't worry, OC aren't gonna be able to one shot Doom Lord Kazzak like he was nothing, they will have their strengths but against certain foes it can vary to its effectiveness, so don't worry they won't be to powerful. As for Adelina, I wouldn't know if she was a ripoff of Rukia, but she firmly believes she needs to journey with Ichigo, as for super powers, no, sh is a normal run of the mill druid who was still in training before she got lost. I'll try and keep the characters to a minimum, but there will be moments where there will be dozens of them.**

**Blinded in a bolthole: Glad you like my story, and I can understand random unexplained portals summoning a hero to another world, yeah Adelina has a sort of admiration for him, but what it will develop into, who knows.**

**Guest #2: All opinions matter to me, never doubt yourself, if you're a guest or an actual member of the site I will listen to what a person has to say. And your choice of Ichigo learning from a warlock to see about harnessing his inner hollow was valid and just, and something I could possibly work into the story as time goes on. Ichigo in his Vasto Lorde transformation, which would be pretty cool. True the light can help those; also the light doesn't just help the religious, the Draenai get their power from the Naaru as far as I know, the elves bend it to their will and the Tauren use the power of the sun, so he doesn't need to be in the church to get the benefits.**

**Engineering, Mecho-cycle here I come, he's gonna be rollin' and people are gonna be hatin' they see him riding dirty.**

**Guest #3: Possibly**

**Guest #4: Blessing of Elune, yeah that could work, he does have a Zanpokuto that is affiliated with the moon, so later on why not, and hell King Varion became the avatar of Goldrinn, the ancient spirit of the wolf, so him becoming her champion might not be far off.**

**Guest #5: My god man, you really know how to speak to my soul, you really know how to get me interested, please teach me more, tell me how he could make himself in this world, tell me what destiny he will create by being here. Please your words are full of logic and awesomeness.**

**Well that's all the reviews, hope you like the next chapter.**

**Also for the next question for you all, if Ichigo was to get a second weapon, what would it be? It can be anything, Guns, Polearms, Swords, Maces, Axes, and Bows. Tell me what you would like Ichigo to have in hand if you could choose.**

* * *

**Chapter 05: Dungeon Running 101?**

The Treants of Dire Maul were a very... _interesting_ enemy to fight.

It took some strength to cut through their thick bark and even more to cut off a good piece of them. They were very dangerous adversaries for the unprepared and unskilled, but the group that Ichigo was travelling with was _far_ from unprepared or unskilled. They took down these corrupted Treants with ease.

Whether it is by a sword; a gun or by magic. They fell to the might of the warriors of the Horde.

The leader of the group was Tauren Hunter, named Turuk Thunderhorn.

A very skilled and well known Hunter within Tauren society and his Tribe. His skill with his gun is almost _terrifying_. He uses the butcher knife bayonet on the end of his gun as much as he does the gun itself. He can cleave though a Treant and blow it apart with his massive cannon with ease and move on to the next target in the blink of an eye.

He never misses his mark from all the kills Ichigo could see. Many of the Treants had been blown in half by his massive calibre bullets, and others were missing the upper part of their torsos, completely reduced to splinters.

The other Tauren was a woman named Hawnia Brighthorn.

A very skilled and powerful Druid. She was just as devastating against the Treants as her male counterpart. Where he blew the enemy away with bullets, she did so with wind and magic. Bolts of pure energy shot from her palm and collided with attacking Treants and tore them apart. They were nothing against her! She was a _force of nature_ to be reckoned with and nothing could stand against her might.

The temperature rose suddenly and an explosion was heard to the far edge of the small boulevard they were moving through.

That was Shikil'hi, a Troll Shaman burning many Treants to ash with her elemental powers.

Like Hawnia she was a force to be reckoned with. She appeared as a savage but was very cunning and dangerous, and her lack of armour made Ichigo wonder which was more dangerous, her power or the woman herself? With but a wave of her hand she could set someone alight and with a sway of her hips she captured the attention of many around her.

He shook his head from the thought he didn't need to deal with this right now, he had _walking trees_ to deal with.

He cut down another before he heard the all too familiar sound of Ria fighting.

He was very energetic and athletic. He would bounce around and perform _very_ complex and likely _borderline impossible_ moves to deal with his enemies. He would leap over them and then bury either of his swords through their skulls or strike at their thick trunk-like bodies and cut them in half. He would always try and show off, and either it was how he fought or how he tried to entertain himself by trying to pull off the _impossible_ during a fight. Either way, he was killing them as fast as they were coming. Every second or two he would lash out and in that time one of the Treants would be dead and he would be moving on to the next one.

He then saw three of the Treants cut in half from where their waists would be. Their top halves sliding off the stumps and onto the ground. A shocked expression on their faces before the light in their eyes faded into nothing.

In front of them was Uruk Bloodtooth, a very nasty piece of an Orc.

He was said to be from the Warsong Clan. More specifically the Warsong Outriders, a band of raiders that would work in Ashenvale against the Night Elves to acquire lumber for their people.

Ichigo didn't like the sound of that. He had met the Night Elves at Feathermoon Stronghold and when they said that they were fighting to protect their lands from the encroaching Orcs he was adamant that the Orcs weren't exactly good people. From what he was seeing now, he could only support that assumption. Uruk was violent, ruthless and uncaring to anyone around him aside from himself and possibly Turok. But only because he was the _Leader_ of this little party of warriors.

Ichigo could see that each of them _alone_ was dangerous, but _together_, they were a force to be reckoned with. He would be doubtful nothing short of a _Fukutaichō_ or a _Taichō_ in the Goteijūsantai could handle these guys. They were some of the most dangerous warriors he had ever seen. If they went up against a Hollow they would probably win against it easy. They were some of the best he had ever seen when it came to fighting and their group was a _real_ power house.

* * *

A girlish scream reached his ears and Ichigo knew exactly who it was.

He turned on his feet and looked over to see said girl was currently in a _very_ dangerous situation, but also funny.

Ichigo looked at the plight that was Adelina.

She was currently caught in a very comical bout with the Treants. One that would make him laugh at the sheer outlandishness of it had the situation been different. Adelina had done something _very_ stupid when they were attacked, _so_ stupid that he thought that she may be one of those 'types'. The type where she was more of a danger to _herself_ and those _around_ her than to the enemy she was supposed to be fighting.

Right now she was running for her life.

Behind her were three Treants moving to tear her limb from limb.

Ichigo and the others were having no real problems dealing with the walking trees as they were slow and quite easy to put down, a simple chop here or there and they would be on the ground waiting to be split into fire wood.

"Stop!" Adelina shouted at her murderous pursuers. "I just wanted to talk! To help you! I don't want to fight!"

"Hey girl, did ya rememba' to water them? Plants can get very grouchy if you forget to water dem every day!" Shouted Shikil'hi, laughing at Adelina's plight with little concern.

"God damn it!" Sighed Ichigo slumping forward slightly before charging off to save his 'baggage' as Uruk had dubbed her.

He pulled back Zangetsu with both hands and in three quick motions he dispatched them all cleanly.

* * *

Adelina halted and looked back to see her saviour was standing there, amidst the remains of three fallen Treants. She looked at him as he rested his sword on his shoulder and had an almost bored look about him, and that was what Adelina found very awe inspiring about him.

He was _so_ powerful that those corrupted Treants stood no chance against him...

That with his sword he could dispatch many enemies like they were nothing...

That no matter the situation he remained calm and collected...

She wondered what he would look like if he was a Night Elf? Dreamy thoughts ran through her head a short while before she was drawn away from them by a command from Turok.

"Form up! We need to move, more will be coming!" He shouted to all around him.

Without protest everyone gathered back together, and slowly made their way forward and through the ruined streets of Dire Maul.

Ichigo had Zangetsu by his side and was scanning the area, which was once a _very_ luxurious suburban area by the looks of it. Now all that remained were destroyed buildings and overgrown plant life.

He scanned the darkness within the buildings and alleyways for anything that might be waiting to jump out and surprise them, but luckily it seemed that there wasn't much here in this section of the ruins. Hopefully this was the less populated part of the city. The last thing they needed was to be overwhelmed by those Treants before they could even find out where the Demons were.

The odd thing was; there was _little_ of _anything_ in this city. Not even animals were here, which is odd. He would have thought that they would have tried to make this place their home, but maybe the feeling he got when he walked around was also keeping them away. His instincts told him this place was no good, _bad_ things have happened here, _very bad_ things.

As Ichigo was thinking and keeping a look out, Adelina was walking beside him.

She was rubbing her arm nervously. She didn't like this place once bit, and it felt completely wrong to her, like there were things here that shouldn't exist and that which had been _tainted_ by what shouldn't. She looked over toward Ichigo to see his hard eyes scanning the ruins around her for anything that may be present. There wasn't much around them, just a few open spaced living quarters reminiscent of Highborne design. Much of nature had worn away and covered the pale grey stones that were used to build this city. And the nature that had taken hold had been _tainted_ by the very forces that still dwell within this place.

A low rumble could be heard in the distance as it slowly approached.

Ichigo pulled Adelina behind a staircase leading into a house and the others move to hide themselves with whatever cover they could find. They waited as the rumbling grew louder and more frequent. Eventually the cause behind the mini-quake became known.

It was a large Corrupted Ancient Protector.

It was walking by and wandering aimlessly through the ruins. Its faded leaves and rotted trunk showed that the _corruption_ that ran deep in this place was also corrupting the once noble being.

Adelina could see it in its eyes. There was no life in them, almost like it was a shadow of what it was meant to be.

Eventually it passed them and continued down an adjacent street and allowed the others continued onwards.

Soon they exited the rural area of the ruined city and into a much more open and lush area.

A large square courtyard that had a large green pasture with paved pathways and several dried up and polluted ponds. At the far end they saw a large balcony that acted as cover for a small square, but as much as this place was made for people to go and enjoy their day and let the children have fun, it was not something completely different.

A graveyard was the best way to describe what its current purpose was now. Dozens of bodies littered the area: Treants, Ancient Protectors, Demons, they were all here. Their remains beaten, torn apart and scattered across the faded green patches of earth that would once have been – thousands of years ago – the city's most beautiful park.

"Looks like de Demons 'ave cleared out a good amount of de city for us." Said Rai.

Leaning down and examining the corpse of a fallen guard who had been ripped in twain, leaving various organs and intestines of different colours across the ground.

Ichigo felt bile rise in his throat but swallowed it back down, he needed to keep calm and not let this get to him. These _things_ were monsters, they didn't deserve his pity with what their trying to do. And the Corrupted Ancient Protectors were like hollows, they needed to be killed so they could be cleansed and freed from the taint that has taken hold over them.

Turok looked up and quickly motioned everyone forward and behind a fallen statue of a very beautiful Night Elf, from Ichigo could tell it was likely a statue of this cities former patron and ruler, Queen Azshara.

Turok scanned the area before them. The park ahead of them was very large and open and it seemed to be _bustling_ with Corrupted Ancient Protectors and Treants, which would make traversing the open area difficult.

Turok glanced around and his sight fell onto the covered square at the far end of the park.

He could tell that the balcony that acted as its persuado cover was more than that, it likely led to another section of the city. And from the colosseum he could see in the distance, it was likely where it let to and where they had to go. But the fact that there were many powerful enemies between here and there made it unlikely they would be able to get on the other side alive.

They _could_ rush through and avoid combat as best as they could, but they would be surrounded quickly nonetheless and killed. Their only choice was to sneak around or at least get as close as possible and then try and make a run to the balcony. And from the current layout of the terrain the latter was the most likely to succeed. But they needed a cover to make it that far, Turok let his gaze roam over the park to anything that could hide the seven of them from sight, and far off to the side he could see a large fallen statue that covered much of the right side of the park and close to the square. It had fallen a good distance from the wall and covered a large section of the area and it appeared that the Treants don't go near it, Turok turned towards his group and gave them his orders.

"We will travel up the far right side of the courtyard, using the fallen pillars and walls as cover. Then we move to the building and then find the stairs to the balcony above the square." stated Turok.

A silent confirmation went up around them; slowly he stood up and moved toward the edge of the cover the group was hiding behind and waited.

His keen eyes looking over the many Treants and walking plant-life, making sure that they were not looking when he gave the command for them to run.

When he saw the time was right he motioned everyone to move. Quickly they moved from their hiding spot to the far side of the courtyard where the fallen statue lay. They rushed forward as quickly as they could move. Their feet and armour making no noise as they raced twenty five metres to their next source of cover.

When they reached it they all pressed themselves against the smooth stone surface and waited for any signs that they had been spotted. But a minute later and there was nothing that spoke that they had been caught. With that no longer a concern they made their way around the statue and to the far side of the courtyard, avoiding the Corrupted Treants without a problem. But then they came to the point where that could all change.

They were still a far ways away from the square beneath the balcony, but still a lot closer than they were back at the far end of the park. They could reach the square easy without a problem, and the trents and ancient protectors in the park wouldn't be a problem.

Turok could see along the walls that sealed off the tiled square area were wide archways leading into dark hallways. They _could_ hide in there but there was a problem that prevented them from doing so. The square below the balcony had a single Corrupted Ancient Protector guarding it. If they tried to attack the Corrupted Ancient head on, it was likely they would draw attention from the rest of the Treants that were currently roaming the park; they would be swarmed in minutes, unless they could kill it quickly enough.

"What's the plan?" inquired Uruk, impatiently shifting from side to side.

Turok ignored the Orc as he scanned the area around him. He knew that getting past would be tricky. After all he _didn't_ expect to get through this _without_ fighting at least one or two Corrupted Ancient Protectors, but he had hoped to avoid the half a dozen in the park.

"Looks like we have no choice, we will need to take that thing down and then make an escape before we are overrun." stated Turok. Everyone gathered closer to see about the plan. "Shikil'hi, Adelina, Hawnia, cover us while myself, Raizza, Uruk and Ichigo deal with the Ancient. Don't let _anything_ get past you."

They nodded to his orders, they could keep the trents and protectors at bay while they worked on taking it down, Ichigo leaned towards Hawnia and asked.

"Could you look after Adelina for me and make sure she doesn't try to make friends with them _again_?" He did so subtlety, so no one else would hear. She simply smiled and nodded towards the young man. "Thank you."

* * *

Adelina and Shikil'hi were standing in wait with Hawnia as Turok thought of how they could deal with the Corrupted Ancient Protector that was guarding the covered square...

And then the Elven Druid said something that took them by surprise.

"Have you noticed that we're _all_ woman and that they are _all_ men?" Adelina said as if she had some sort of epiphany.

This earned her a curious glance from Hawnia, who didn't know what she could possibly be talking about, and an irritated one from Shikil'hi, who even if she did understand probably wouldn't care.

"Gee, it slip me mind girl, I should _really_ see a Witch Doctor." Retorted Shikil'hi, obviously not getting what Adelina was trying to put across to them.

"Huh? What? No! I mean that they are going off to fight and we're stuck keeping the weeds out." Even though she was a dolt most of the time and one certain individual couldn't stand her, she did make some sense when she said that.

They looked over towards the male part of the party and saw them arguing what the best way is to knock down a tree. No matter what world you reside on in the vast universe, all women know one thing about the opposite sex:

_'Men, they think they know best.'_ They all though at once.

The 'Men' moved towards the far end of the pillar and waited for the perfect moment to strike, all the while they were discussing how they should take it down, many opinions were offered, some stupider than the last.

"Just chop it down like a tree, works more times than you may think." growled Uruk, his axe now in hand and a dark snarl on his lips.

"Yeah, if ya be a complete idiot and had enough idiots to back ya up!" Retorted Rai, his swords still on his belt, but ready in a moment's notice to pull them free and use them.

"I think it's vulnerable near the face." Said Ichigo. They stared at him oddly. _Where_ the hell would he get that idea? As if hearing that unasked question he answered "I kind of fought one before..."

"How did that turn out?" Asked Rai, curious on how he would have dealt with one of them alone.

"We both fell off the side of the city wall and crashed through the roof of a building." He deadpanned, to which the Troll's head dropped and shook with mirth before looking back on, now he understood; the boy was lucky. "But after a few stabs I think it actually died before it hit the ground. So what _do_ we got to lose from trying?"

"That could work... We blind it and then tear away the protection before destroying it." Said Turok, pulling out a cylindrical barrel from the underside of the guns barrel; and placing within some very large bronze coloured bullets before slamming it back into the gun. He turned towards the young Shinigami. "I will only need one shot to put it down, but I need an opening, can you get if for me?"

The Orc and Troll were shocked that Turok was actually taking the boys advice seriously and actually giving him an important task. The thought he would actually consider having the boy take on a task of creating an opening for the Tauren was even more surprising! The boy looked up and then nodded to him. But there wasn't any cocky grin or overconfidence in his eyes, just a serious determination that showed that he knew what he had to do and that he had to do it right. He wasn't doing this for himself now; he was doing this for them.

Turok raised his arms and in a single motion of his hand they took off.

Running out of cover and to their respective spots.

Turok, Ichigo, Rai and Urok charged towards the Ancient, while the three female spell-casters remained near the edge of the square and made sure that if anything approached they kept it at bay.

Ahead of the attacking force the Ancient saw them approach and with a hollow roar it marched forward. His heavy stumpy feet thundering loudly as it did, and as it reared back it hand to strike so did the others. As it swung its mighty arm at the four, they dodged it.

Ichigo and Rai leapt above the attack and out of harm's way.

Uruk and Turok kept their distance and avoided the attack before they got to close.

Ichigo held Zangetsu in a reverse grip and leapt at the ancients extended arm and buried it deep in the creatures bark skin. As the creature swung its arm back in pain, Ichigo held on for dear life as his grip on his sword and its leverage inside the timber flesh of the Ancient was the only thing preventing him from being flung away. When the arm halted its violent movements Ichigo made his move to create the opening Turok requested.

Quickly and effortlessly he pulled Zangetsu free and moved to strike.

He rushed along the side of its arm and leaped past its face. As he did he sung a deep gouge across the ancient's brow, right eye and nose. Not enough to handicap it, but enough for it to stumble back in pain before moving to clutch at its wounded face.

Ichigo landed on the ground without injury. He then looked over to see that Uruk and Rai where charging in to make their own attack. The creature recovered from its wound and made to halt them both, but a quick attack from Turok stopped its attempt.

A bullet struck it in the stomach and shredded some of the thick bark that acted as its skin.

Even though the bullets were big and had a massive kick to them, they were still not _powerful_ enough to breach the Ancient's thick hide... This is likely why Turok asked Ichigo to make an opening for him.

This was likely a test as well as the quickest strategy to finishing the creatures off.

Rai had moved to the side of the beast as it was stunned, he attacked using his sword-breaker to carve away some of the bark from the leg as he passed and allowed Uruk to deal the telling blow. The Orc did so and with a mighty roar that was matched by his swing he tore through the creature's leg and took a good chunk of it with him.

The Ancient let out another roar before it fell forward losing all support from that leg. Ichigo charged forward and Turok aimed up another shot.

As the Ancient's hand came down to stop itself, a bullet struck its outstretched arm and knocked it off centre, thus preventing the Ancient from stopping itself from colliding with the ground headfirst. When it did, the sound of bark cracking could be heard over the sound of its low wailing.

Ichigo shot forward as it made to rise, and as its face came into view and stared in shock at the approaching Shinigami it didn't have time to blink before another wound was etched into its face.

Its body shot upwards and clutched its head with its free hand and use the other to keep itself upright. Then, with an angry roar it tried to crush the young Shinigami under its fist, but a quick sidestep by Ichigo and another strike from Zangetsu forced the hand away. But this time he didn't have his clawed hand with him, which had been severed clean from its wrist.

As it tried to stand and attack Ichigo again it was met by another strike to the head. This time by Uruk, who had somehow climbed up its back and was now standing on top of its hunched body. He had buried his axe into the creatures forehead.

It screamed in agony at the repeated assaults against its wooden visage. Uruk's axe had kept him from falling free from the Ancient's wide shoulder, which was long enough for the creature to stop thrashing and allow him to pull his axe free quite violently and leap off. The Ancient's hand returned to its face once more to cradle the freshest of its wounds.

Ichigo saw his chance to create the opening he needed and he turned to Uruk who stood only a few feet ahead of him.

"Uruk!" Shouted Ichigo, gaining the Orc's attention. "I need a lift!"

Ichigo charged forward towards Uruk, who readied his axe quickly. He held it tightly in his hands and laid it flat so the boy could use its surface as his jump point. When Ichigo leapt from the ground and onto the weapon, Uruk threw him skywards and toward the Ancient who was only just beginning to recover.

Ichigo sailed towards the massive Treant with Zangetsu in hand and ready to bury it between the creature's eyes, as it removed its hand to see the commotion. It was surprised once more to see the boy flying towards his face that had been the subject of many malicious assaults. But that shock was replaced with pain as the blade once more sunk into the creatures face. The black and silver blade impaling the ancients left eye.

It thrashed wildly to dislodge its attacker. It worked as Ichigo leapt off the creature and back onto the ground.

But Zangetsu was still embedded in the creature's eye, and in the young substitutes hand was a thin white cloth. With both hands he tugged on said cloth hard. The creature lurched forward at the sudden tug, its head bobbing forward at the blade dragged it along with it. Then another tug forced the bark skin to crack and groan under the pressure of trying to decide whether to go with the blade or stay with the rest of its body. The third and final tug freed Zangetsu and mutilated what was left of the Ancients face. The left side of its face had been torn apart and allowing all to see the rotten interior within.

This was all that was needed for Turok to make his move.

Cocking back the hammer on the gun he aimed towards the very large opening and without a second to waste he fired the gun. The bullet hit its mark and buried itself deep in the soft and vulnerable timber beneath the thick bark. In that moment the creature was motionless, and then its entire head exploded as the explosive round went off within its head.

The front of its upper body had been blown open, leaving splinters and black sap to fall around the square before the remains of its body followed suit and lurched forward and hit the ground with a loud thud.

Ichigo rested Zangetsu on his shoulder as he took in the remains of the fallen Ancient... and he didn't like the look of its insides. Even though it wasn't nearly as disgusting as a human's or Hollow's body, it still didn't leave much to imagination with how its innards were rotted timber and blood was black gooey sap.

"Dat wasn't as hard as I thought it would be." stated Rai, walking over toward Ichigo, who nodded in silent agreement. Although the last time he fought one of these things was when he was alone and in pretty bad shape. "Nice work wid dat sword of yours, I like your style."

"Thanks Rai." Said Ichigo.

But their friendly chatter was cut short when Turok moved closer, his dominating presence silencing any more chit-chat between the two of them.

"Form up, we can't stay here. The enemy will overwhelm us!" Shouted Turok.

He turned towards the three woman who were currently holding off the brunt of the attacking Treants. And there were _many_ of them.

It was only due to Shikil'hi elemental abilities that kept most of them at bay, and allowed the two Druids to strike them down with their Druid powers over nature. Moonfire and Wrath was cast towards the Treants, rending bark and timber with ease.

"Shikil'hi! Adelina! Get to Turok!" Shouted Hawnia towards the two younger casters.

Shikil'hi and Adelina moved away from the edge of the plaza and rushed back towards the others. While Hawnia channelled a small hurricane around her, wind and stone flew around her quickly and with a push of her hands she it out towards the charging Treants, knocking most away and dazing the rest. Hawnia turned on her heals and shifted into a leopard and took off after the others. She spared only a glance behind her to see many of the Treants were only a few metres behind them.

As they were running towards the rest of the group, Turok raised his rifle and fired it in the general direction of Adelina and Shikil'hi. When the weapon went off the sound of wood splintering and being blown apart could be heard behind the two blue skinned females. Behind them a Treant had been able to get within reach, but thanks to Turok it had been blown in half thanks to the massive calibre bullets he used for his cannon.

He motioned to the far side of the square towards the hallway entrances. He along with the others moved with all speed towards them and stopping only to shake off any pursuers that were getting too close for comfort. Turok stood by one of the archways leading into the hallway and kept an eyes on Hawnia, Adelina and Shikil'hi as they approached, using his sharpshooting skills to take down anything that got to close.

When the three of them came through Turok moved out of the archway and ushered everyone down the hall. They needed to find the stairs. It was their only hope to escape, and they followed it for a short while before they found their salvation in the form of stone steps that led to the balcony above them.

Ichigo and Uruk charged up with their weapons drawn, while Turok and Shikil'hi turned towards the Treants to hold them while everyone got up stairs. The Treants were coming at them in much larger numbers now, since they knew where they were now they were coming in force.

Turok fired shot after shot into the oncoming crowd while Shikil'hi turned them into charred firewood with her elemental power. But where one fell three more took its place and there were dozens of them and more were coming up from behind, Turok grimaced, they needed to seal this passage off.

"We need to destroy the stairs!" Shouted Rai, from the top of the staircase.

Turok and Shikil'hi were slowly advancing up the stairs and keeping the Treants at bay.

"The stairs are made of solid stone, _how_ in the hell do we do that?" bellowed Uruk.

The Treants were at the base of the stairwell and moving up the large steps with ease, pushing and shoving one another like animals to get to the intruders-of-flesh above them.

"Hey, Shikil'hi!" Ichigo shouted to the Shaman. She turned around to berate him for interrupting her while trying to save all their lives, but he beat her to it. "Can you bring down the wall and onto the stairs?"

She looked at him for a moment not fully understanding what he meant, and then she looked to the massive walls that soured high above the balcony and the stairs... Which if it were to _crumble_ could seal off the stairs for them to escape.

She smirked.

This human actually had some brains after all! She cast another Flame Shock towards the Trents before rushing back up the stairs with Turok in tow. She got to the top and turned towards the wall. She couldn't _move_ it but she could _weaken_ the balance of the stone and make it fall.

"Keep dem off me, I need time to finish de call!" She shouted to them.

She placed her hands against the stone wall and began to chant.

Turok, Adelina and Hawnia stood at the top of the stairs and sent down whatever spells or bullets they could to hold back the army of deranged Treants. Even Rai came up to try and keep them at bay with his pistols.

But Ichigo and Uruk had to wait up top and do nothing. The Orc looked annoyed and it was likely because he wasn't _killing_ anything. Ichigo was more annoyed by the fact that here he couldn't _do_ anything! He wanted to help! He didn't like feeling _powerless_ to help and wanted to be able to do something! But he knew that if he tried to it would mean he would do something _stupid_ and he would get in the way of everyone else.

Ichigo turned to Shikil'hi. He could sense a great deal of power coming from her and the thing was it wasn't Mana, but something _similar_ to Reiryoku... Like Reiatsu... And he could feel it coursing through her _and_ the wall itself. From what he knew about Shamans when he learnt about them in school, they were Spiritual Leaders that could commune with spirits of their ancestors and the land... And it looked like it was also similar here too.

He could feel something moving through the stone and trying to tear it down... Like there was a spirit _inside_ the stone trying to help Shikil'hi take down the wall. Maybe there _was _one and she was able to call upon this spirit to aid her.

As the call for the Spirits of Earth's aid came to its crescendo the wall began to shake and crack. She was actually forcing the wall to buckle!

Ichigo looked at her and was shocked to fell a very powerful force make its presence known. She was _definitely_ strong! Not like Byakuya or Renji, but still powerful.

Then, when the chant was finished she pulled back her fist and roared before _punching_ the wall. The stone cracked around her fist and travelled up and along the lengths of the wall above the stairwell.

Turok, Hawnia, Adelina and Rai rushed back and away from the stairwell. They knew exactly what was coming.

Turok only stayed a moment longer to load his gun with a special bullet before firing it at the advancing group of Treants, their bodies were blown apart burnt to a crisp by the explosive round.

They rushed from the wall as it began to fall.

The _entire section_ of the stone wall fell onto the large balcony! Soon the stairwell was destroyed as well as a good amount of the balcony. Either buried under rock or collapsed to the ground below, effectively killing or trapping the Treants that had been following after them.

"Well done, Shikil'hi!" said Turok, before turning and moving forward without another word.

They followed after the Hunter and moved across the balcony towards a wide path leading even further into Dire Maul.

Adelina walked up besides Ichigo and stood with him as they moved forward.

"Why did you want to come here anyway Ichigo? Shouldn't you be going back home to Theramore?" Asked Adelina.

"I don't want these things causing more harm to anyone else. I know about what happened at Mount Hyjal four years ago, the last thing I want is more people to suffer." He said, not wanting to tell her the whole truth that it was _him_ who is responsible for the Dreadlord being here.

After all, they would likely throw him away or kill him for that.

"For someone who scowls so _much_ I didn't know you were such a _softy_." Said Shikil'hi, who was coming up from behind them.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder and stared at her in a bored expression that was mixed with irritation.

"Kiss. My. Ass." Said Ichigo.

To which she smirked and leered at him, before moving very close and whispering in his ear.

"Actually I prefer what's up front, but we can leave that for later, when no one's watching." He turned beat red at the propositioning she whispered into his ear.

She walked past him with a grin on her face, leaving a red faced Shinigami and a confused none the wiser Night Elf to think about what happened.

A few minutes later they eventually arrived at another balcony.

But instead of being a solid platform it was a hollowed out square balcony, and below them they saw a paved area around a large stone walled pit with a large rotted tree propped against the wall. Below they could make out the bodies of many Demons and Ents sprawled against the dirt and tiles.

But there was more here than just the bodies of the dead. All of them could see just out of the corner of their eyes the faint outline of something moving, but when they turned toward the apparition they disappeared.

Ichigo expanded his sense and he could feel it all around him.

_Dozens_ if not _hundreds_ of Spirits were here. He could feel them roaming aimlessly around these ruins. They were lost and if he could concentrate hard enough he could hear them.

Crying out to be saved, to be set free from this torment.

Ichigo looked up and far across the hollowed out expanse and on the other side of the terrace he saw someone. He gazed over to see a woman he believed to be standing near the edge of the terrace and looking over the courtyard below.

Ichigo without a word moved to speak with her.

The group watched as he moved away from them and was gazing at something across the side of the terrace. They couldn't see anyone, but they sure could feel it.

There were spirits here and all of them were whispering on the wind.

Ichigo could see the many apparitions of the dead as he moved closer to the woman. They were wondering around aimlessly, completely oblivious to him. He could see men and woman everywhere, crying and wallowing in despair and grief.

But they didn't change _at all_.

He saw no chains, no Hollowfication, they simply _existed_ to live in perpetual torment. This was _crueller_ than anything else, to be forced to live here for eternity until you either are released or your spirit is destroyed. That is more horrifying than anything he could possibly imagine.

Soon he stood before the woman he had seen over the gap.

She was a Night Elf, or a Highborne as they were more correctly called. She had long blue hair that went down the lengths of her back and wore a very beautiful dress of green, gold and red. She gazed over the fields of the courtyard below, watching as the Corrupted Ancient Protectors wandered aimlessly around the decaying field.

Ichigo could see she was dejected. This was her fate, to forever be bound her and wallow in misery.

"Can you hear me?" Asked Ichigo.

She didn't respond, she simply continued to stare out across the courtyard.

"Ichigo." Turning around he saw Turok and the others were there, watching him closely. They could make out the Spirits as they moved close, but they were but ethereal to them. The Magic in the air made it easy for them to see the ghost but still they had little way of interacting with them. "What are you doing?"

Before he could reply the Spirit spoke.

"You mortals should not be here, leave this place." She said to them, her voice low and solemn. "Before it consumes you as it has my people and all other that have been touched by it evil."

Ichigo looked around the area before him. He could see _hundreds_ of Spirits and the corrupting of the land was as evident here as any other. But this wasn't the work of Demons, this had been going on for a long time, a _very_ long time.

"What happened here?" He asked the Spirit, who only then decided to turned towards him to speak.

"Do you know of my people, the Highborne, the Shen'dralar?" She asked the boy, her voice regal and emotionless.

"No, I'm sorry, I don't know about them." Replied Ichigo.

He had an idea about the Highborne, kind of like nobility within Night Elf society ten thousand years ago.

"They were the nobles of Night Elf society ten thousand years ago." Aaid Adelina, almost like she had read his thoughts. "You were once the servants of Queen Azshara."

"That is right and the Shen'dralar were once Queen Azshara's most revered Arcanists." She said with some pride in her morose voice. "It was within these walls we carried out our Queen's will. No matter the task we followed her command without question, and in secret."

"But what happened here? What caused this?" Asked Ichigo.

"After the destruction of the Well of Eternity and the subsequent lethargy that overcame the Highborne and lesser Night Elf sects, we were forced to find a new font to feed our hunger for Magic." She said. "The Prince of Eldre'Thalas, Tortheldrin, began construction of the pylons that you can see below, now destroyed and left in shambles."

True to her word, below they saw two pillar on either side of the courtyard and two more on either side of the terrace they were currently residing on. They were large pedestals with large crystals tethered to the metal base. But they were broken... The crystals shattered into hundreds of pieces.

"Were they meant to be used as a source of power to help with your hunger?" Asked Hawnia, leaning down to pick up a fragment of the crystal that was near her hoof.

"No, the Prince plotted to imprison a Demon of immense power behind a grand force field. The pylons would channel latent energies into the shield, keeping it operational and the Demon bound." Said the Spirit.

"You mean… _that_ Demon, that _massive dog creature_... You were _keeping_ that _imprisoned here_ as a source of _food_?" Asked Ichigo disgusted.

And from how the others reacted they thought the same.

But Turok and Rai caught onto something that others didn't when he spoke.

The Spirit _didn't_ mention a Demon dog, _just_ a Demon.

"Yes. While imprisoned, it was a creature called a Void Hound, Immol'thar was its name. And it would serve as a battery to the populace of Eldre'Thalas." She said, her head lowered in anguish.

Either in recognition of that the act of using the Demon as a power source or because of her current situation was not known.

"But why? Why would you do such a thing?" Asked Ichigo.

"The siphoned energies would sustain the Highborne's Magic, allowing those within the walls of Eldre'Thalas to feed their endless and growing Magical pangs and keep us and our civilization alive." She said, as an act of defending her race. "For thousands of years we were able to do this without fear of losing control of the Demon or dying from the thirst."

"But it didn't last did it?" Asked Turok.

His hard eyes boring into the Spirit's, who closed her own and lower her head.

"No, the power required to keep Immol'thar imprisoned while sustaining the population within Eldre'Thalas began to shift. It was subtle at first, but then it became harder to maintain." She said, her voice becoming nostalgic as she recalled those events. "The cost to keep Immol'thar bound grew too difficult. Our people were numerous and we couldn't siphon enough energy from him to sustain everyone."

"All these people..." Murmured Ichigo, looking around. He _knew_ it in his heart what had happened here. "They were all killed weren't they?"

The Spirit looked at him before her face contorted in sorrow before she lowed it.

"Yes, the Prince himself carried out the task of slaying his people, keeping only enough to maintain the pylons to Immol'thar's prison and to quench their thirst."

"You were one of them weren't you?" Ichigo asked. "You were one of the people he killed?"

"I… I couldn't follow him… My family… My daughters. I _couldn't_ let him take them." She said, her voice was croaking as she tried to hold back tears. "I watched them siphon the power from their bodies, leaving only husks behind, I couldn't… I couldn't…"

A hand descended on her shoulder, shocking her and those who were more aware of what the boy had just done. She looked up at him and looked at him. She had no idea what was going on, and how could he touch her? There was no way someone living could touch her.

"Where is this Prince?" He asked in a low tone, his anger evident as the fire in his eyes.

"He is located in the Athenaeum, just beyond the Prison." She said, her voice full of surprise that his hand could still remain on her shoulder. He was _different_ from the rest, she could feel something from him... Power, raw power, maybe… maybe he could end this. "If you can slay the Demon, then the Prince's power will be diminished. He will be vulnerable, _that_ will be your chance to strike at him."

"If I defeat the Prince, what will happen to everyone here?" asked Ichigo

"We cannot leave this place. The power that holds us here is etched into every stone. As long as this city remains here, so shall we." She said, casting one final glance at the Spirits around her, before turning back to the young Shinigami.

Ichigo nodded and reached up to his blade, everyone was a little surprised by his current action.

He pulled Zangetsu from his back and the cloth unfolded from it with but a thought. The Ancient looked at the blade for a moment and closed her eyes. If he could touch her, he could cut her down. She resigned herself to this fate. At least with the death of her Spirit she would no longer worry about her misery, and she could have some peace beyond this tortured existence, she just wished for only rest.

"Ichigo, what are you…" Ichigo raised a hand to silence Adelina.

"Your family? Are they here?" She looked up at him with shock etching her face.

She could see his warm eyes looking into her ethereal ones.

"No, they were fortunate to be taken into the goddess' embrace after they passed." She said, a genuine smile gracing her features before she lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Make it quick, I would like to at least meet my end quickly rather than how I met it in life."

Ichigo raised Zangetsu and the Shen'dralar Ancient waited for the inevitable strike...

But what came next was not what she expected.

She felt a soft tap against her forehead. She opened her eyes to see the man had tabbed the hilt of his sword against her forehead.

She blinked at his actions.

She would have asked why he did this, but before should could she felt _something_. Looking down she saw a chain appear from her chest. A chain of wood covered in many green leaves and vines.

It was attached to the stones beneath her.

Where it was bound she could see the rot and disease that sprung from it and up the chain and into her.

But _now_ the blight was receding from her.

As well as the anguish and despair she had been forced to suffer for many centuries.

Then it snapped away. The chain hung freely from her chest, and as if a great weight had been lifted she felt no more pain, no more grief, no more despair, she looked up at the man and she couldn't even speak to ask what he had done.

"Go find your family." Ichigo said with a smile.

Light appeared around her and her form turned into a brilliant light that ascended towards the heavens and disappeared.

Ichigo looked up at the cloud for a while longer before he turned to the group before him...

Who were all staring at him wide eyed. He just realised that he may have gone a _little bit_ overboard when he performed Konsō on that Spirit.

He looked at them sheepishly before rubbing his neck and saying some very unconvincing words.

"There's a perfectly logical explanation behind this." He said.

They all looked at him.

They _knew_ that there _had_ to be an explanation but it _wasn't_ a simple one.

"It doesn't matter." Said Turok, moving off ahead of them. "We will speak of this after we are done here, not before."

There was no argument raised by the rest of the group, but everyone wanted to voice their questions as to _why_ he was able to touch that Spirit and also somehow put her to rest. As Turok moved past Ichigo he stopped only for a moment to say to him, a word of caution.

"I don't know _why_ you want to find this Demon, or _how_ you are able to _touch_ and _cleanse_ Spirits, but if there is more to you than just being human, I will find out..." The Tauren said, and Ichigo glanced over and saw his hard eyes boring into his very soul, "And take the appropriate actions."

Ichigo remained ramrod straight as Hunter passed him by.

The _last_ thing he wanted was to be on the wrong side of that cannon of his. He stood there for a moment before continuing on, all the while the group was giving him some very odd looks.

He didn't likes this now. It looked like his little stunt with the Spirit had earned them their curiosity or possible suspicion. His powers here were a complete unknown, so there is no telling what may be going through their minds. Maybe like Shandris and Quintis when they first met, they thought he was a Demon.

But luckily they didn't broach the subject any more than Turok telling him that he had his eye – and by extension his massive gun – on him. But it left the group wondering what kind of powers this boy has. He was able to spot the spirit from a considerable distance and also interact and cleanse it with but a simple tap of his sword.

Adelina looked at Ichigo for a second.

She didn't know _how_ he was able to do those things and he was a little frightened by it. She could always feel something coming off him when she was close to him. It felt like a force was building inside him and then pushing itself out. She didn't have any reason to distrust Ichigo or anything and they had only known each other for only a few hours so she really couldn't put judgement on him yet...

But the ability to _touch_ the Spirits and _cleanse_ them may not appear bad, but it spoke that he was hiding something from them. She knew he was powerful, she remembered what he did to those Naga when they attacked. He completely and utterly decimated them in a single swing of that sword. They were blown apart!

But she remembered something...

Those words that left the Naga's mouth before he died...

_"Not human..." _

She looked over towards Ichigo, her curiosity and worry building in equal measure

_'If you're not human, then what are you?'_

Soon they found a stairwell that led them down from the raised terrace and onto the ground floor.

They walked out from the undercover hallway and towards the wall that railed off the pit and that was mainly what it was. All that was down there was dirt, a large rotted out tree and the ramp leading down into it. As they observed it more clearly they could see a wooden door in the far right hand corner of the pit, just adjacent the tree. They couldn't see anything down there and also from what they could tell the door lead under the courtyard and in the general direction of the Colosseum that was in the distance.

Rai moved up towards Turok and spoke with him privately.

"Should we be worried about de boy?" Asked the Troll Rouge.

"As long as he doesn't pose a threat to this group, then I have no qualms with him... But _if_ he makes a single mistake, I will find out what I can from him before making my move." Said Turok, glancing towards the young 'human' who was overlooking the pit below and the area around them with alert eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eyes on him. If something happens, I'll be there." Said Rai, glancing towards the young human as well.

When they turned away they continued on their way, moving towards to ramp.

A few minutes later and they were on the dirt floor of the walled off pit. There wasn't a single things down here but that tree that was blackened and growing against the side of the far wall. The entire thing looked like it had been singed and its leaves dyed in purple ink.

They walked down and looked around and saw nothing about this place that showed off whatever elegance it was meant to hold. Maybe the tree was meant to be the main spectacle of this little depression in the earth, but none the less they moved past it quickly.

Turok and Rai leading the group towards the doorway on the far side of the pit. As they did so Ichigo kept his eyes on the walls, looking for anything that may try to attack from above, but he couldn't sense or see anything that suggested there was anyone up there.

But as they moved Turok motioned them to stop.

But just as he did everyone could almost feel like something bad was going to happen.

From Adelina's and Hawnia's Druidic powers, Shikil'hi's Shamanistic abilities, Turok's, Uruk's and Rai's keen instinct and Ichigo's ability to sense Reiryoku, they knew something was going on.

"The tree!" Shouted Shikil'hi.

Everyone turned to the massive black oak that began to twist and groan, before something began to sprout from the rotted wood.

Massive black arms of wood and bark released themselves from the side of the wall. With them _it_ pushed against the stone and dislodged the torso and head that were rooted to the stone. And then the legs beneath the body were pulled free.

_What _dismounted from the wall and a large section of the tree, that had once been part of the wall, was actually a Corrupted Ancient in hiding.

It was a _massive_ creature that dwarfed it's cousins throughout the rest of the ruins. There was little foliage among the dark bark that made up its skin. It had a long box like face with tusks protruding from the side of its face and branch like hair. On its back were large jutting tree trunks.

Standing at a whopping twenty six feet in height it leered down at the little being before it.

"You do not belong here! I will destroy you for intruding on this sacred ground!" It bellowed, its voice thick and hoarse.

And without another word it charged at them.

Everyone dispersed and moved away from the rampaging Ancient. Its massive fist coming down to crush them all in one fell swoop.

Ichigo leapt away and as he slid along the dirt as he drew Zangetsu. Without missing a beat he charged in towards the Corrupted Ancient. The Ancient saw the boy coming and brought its massive arm over its body before swinging it at the Substitute. Ichigo not reacting fast enough wasn't able to dodge the attack.

He raised his sword to prevent the blow from striking him directly but it didn't stop it from sending him flying away and into the stone wall.

"Ichigo!" Shouted Adelina in worry.

But Ichigo got to his feet quickly, only wincing as he did so. That thing was _fast_ and _strong_, nothing like the others they had come across before!

An explosion rocked the side of the creatures head.

The Ancient showed no signs of pain but it did turn quickly towards the one who had attacked it.

The Ancient raised its massive fist overhead and intended to crush the Tauren beneath it. Turok leapt out of the way as the hand came down towards him. He was able to roll and regain his footing and fire another shot. The Ancient kept its gaze on the Tauren and moved to attack again, but as it tried to raise its fist from its most recent attack it found that it could not move it.

Looking down it saw many roots had formed around its arms and held it to the ground. It looked over to see two Druids summoning the roots to keep it in place. Treant groaned in annoyance and worked to remove its hand from the vines.

Uruk rushed forward and leapt at the creature's face, ready to bury his axe right between its eyes. A quick shake of its head and the Ancient was able to clip the Orc with its tusks and knock it away with little trouble...

But it _couldn't_ stop the Shaman from lighting a small bonfire on his exposed back.

There was a dull roar from the Ancient as it work all the harder to remove itself from the vines. It was all the time Ichigo needed to charge up and leap onto its arm, and charge up it and stab at its face. The ancient couldn't stop the attack quickly enough with its tusk and was now howling in anger as the boys blade pierced its face right below its right eye. Then as Ichigo ripped Zangetsu free from the rotting wood to strike again, the sound of snapping vines caught his attention.

Looking down he saw the Ancients arm was free now, and was moving to grab him. Ichigo leapt off the horn he was standing on, but that still didn't save him.

The Ancient was able to grab him and trap him within his iron bark grip. Ichigo watched as its dark sap eyes looked at him as it applied the pressure necessary to crush him. Ichigo groaned and tried to get out of its grip but it was useless. He cried out in pain as he felt his entire body being crushed...

But the pain subsided when the side of the Ancients face was engulfed in an explosion of fire. It reach up with its free hand and try to brush away the flames that still linger, which allowed Ichigo to raised Zangetsu and stab it into the Ancient's arm.

Another roar escaped its lips before it released its grip on the young Substitute, who fell to the ground and landed in a crouch before he had to leap away lest he be crushed under the ancients massive foot. Ichigo rolled to gain himself more distance and looked up at the leering Ancient.

_This_ one was a lot harder to put down then the rest!

He hefted up Zangetsu and prepared to attack once more, but was forced to leap away again when it struck out with its fist again. Another one came down where he landed and he narrowly dodged it, but the forces of the strike knocked him further back than he expected. He lost balance and rolled across the ground before coming to a stop just a few feet from the wall.

Ichigo looked up to see the others were trying desperately to take the ancient down.

Shikil'hi tried to burn it.

Turok tried to shoot it.

Adelina and Hawnia tried to blast it and restrain it.

Uruk tried to chop it down.

Uruk charged at its leg and sunk his axe into the back of its wooden heel, but it did nothing but alert the Ancient to the Orcs presence. Which it used to try and crush him under its foot... Luckily Uruk was able to leap out of the way before being smashed into pudding.

Turok shot at the back of the exposed leg, right where Uruk had cut into the wood. The bullet was able to pierce the much softer interior of the Ancients body and exploded within. A good chunk of the creature's leg was removed and it stumbled and nearly buckled to the ground.

Hawnia and Shikil'hi were more than willing to give it the much needed push to bring it down, both stood before the ancients back and where channelling elemental winds within their hands. When they were ready they sent a massive wave of wind towards the charred back of the Ancient.

When it struck the creatures exposed back it was enough to bring it to its knees. It lurched forward and stopped itself short of landing face first on the ground, but it was low enough for Rai and Uruk to make their moves.

The first was Uruk, who charged in from under the Ancient and with a upward swing intended to dig his axe deep into its face. This time he actually succeeded, and the axe struck the Ancients large triangular nose, cutting it vertically along the bridge and leaving it two separate pieces. The Ancient tried to lift itself away from his attack, but could only do so from the Orc. For the Troll was on his back and moving in to do his own damage...

Rai leapt over the Ancient's raised head and as he fell before it he sunk his sword-breaker into the walking tree's left eyebrow. He hung on its face for a second before he attacked with his Rapier, stabbing the narrow blade into its eye.

Black polluted sap burst free from the ocular socket and blinded the beast. It roared aloud and drew back quickly. Its head facing the sky and its screams moving towards the heavens. This action also knocked Rai's sword-breaker out of the tree's brow and launched him off and away from the large Ent. As he sailed through the air he was saved as a tunnel of wind formed around him and glided him back down to the ground safely.

"Thanks!" Said Rai.

"No problem." Said Shikil'hi.

Rai got on his feet quickly and charged back in, while Shikil'hi prepared to send another ball of flame at the Corrupted Ancient.

Ichigo charged under the Ancient and slashed his blade against it's injured leg. The sword passed through the very fragile limb with ease and took out more of the rotted timber. Ichigo didn't stop when he struck, quickly moving forward and getting as much distance as possible from the Ancient. After all, the Ancient could strike from a good distance and Ichigo didn't want to be within his range when he attacked. Ichigo turned around quickly to see the creature was straining itself to use its left leg. If they could keep this up then they could bring it down and finish it off.

But as he readied Zangetsu to attack again he saw vines wrap around the creatures leg, trying to pull it down. He looked around and saw Adelina trying to bring the beasts leg down, but as much as it was struggling to prevent that, Adelina was struggling more so.

Eventually the vines snapped and the Ancient turned to the source of the attack and spotted Adelina. She reeled back as it moved to grab her. She was too close to dodge and Ichigo was too far to reach her. He cursed under his breath and he raced forward to try and save her.

Adelina watched in horror as the dark iron bark claw hot towards her, ready to grab hold of her and crush her lithe form between its fingers.

But as it drew closer she felt herself being knocked out of the way. She hit the ground hard and out of harm's way.

When she looked up to see who pushed her out she saw Hawnia...

Standing in her place with her hand extended from pushing her aside...

That was the last she saw of her before she was ensnared by the Ancients claws.

The Ancient grabbed hold of Hawnia and with her still in hand slammed his fist into the ground in front of him, before bringing it up to slam it into the wall on his right hand side and then throwing her away to his left. Hawnia's broken body flew through the air before impacting against the far wall and then crumbling to the ground.

Everyone watched transfixed on her body as it fell to the ground and didn't move.

They all knew...

She was dead...

"Hawnia!" Shouted Adelina.

Quickly moving towards her. She knelled beside the fallen Druid and looked her over, her hand clamped over her mouth in shock as she looked over her broken form.

She was dead without a doubt.

Her chest had been deformed and her limbs had been snapped and broken in several places. Her horns had been broken, her face was the only thing that had not been completely destroyed by the Corrupted Ancients actions.

Adelina was so transfixed on this she didn't noticed that the hand was descending down towards her once more. It was only when the shadow appeared over her that she looked up to see it coming towards her.

But a flash of black shot between her and the massive claw, and it halted its descent to crush her.

She looked up in shock.

Ichigo stood there, his blade flat against its massive hand and with strength she did not think he could possess he held the corrupted ancient at bay. She looked on in awe at the fact that the boy who was only a _year_ older than herself was using strength beyond anything he should be capable of to hold off against the Corrupted Ancient Protector.

Ichigo groaned as did the ancient he was holding off as he tried to fight against the overwhelming pressure that was being pressed down upon him. Ichigo couldn't hold back against this thing, it was _too_ powerful! He needed to end this before more people died!

He cast a glanced behind him to see the bloodied face of Hawnia. He felt guilt building up in him, as well as anger.

She was dead _because_ of this monster in front of them!

She was dead _because_ they had come here to stop that Demon!

She was dead _because_ of that Demon being here!

It was _his_ fault for it being here!

_**It was his fault she was dead.**_

Ichigo roared as he knocked the mighty arm to the side. It landed on a few metres to his left and shattered the solid ground beneath it. The Ancient leered down at the Substitute with an annoyed sneer, it obviously didn't like the boy.

But that dislike would soon be ripped from its face.

Ichigo brought back Zangetsu in both hands and began funnelling his Reiatsu into his Zanpakutō. Soon a wave of pressure descended on the entire area, there was no movement from anyone as they watched the scene unfold before them.

Around the blade a massive burst of energy appeared. The wind kicked up and from his blade a massive surge of blue energy appeared. It was like lighting was flowing out from the blade!

The pressure continued to rise as the energy grew larger. They all watched with wide eyes as the young human drew back his blade and readied to strike, the power in his blade matching nothing they had ever seen before!

It was grand.

It was terrifying.

It was _powerful_.

And with a final roar he set the energy loose.

"**Getsuga Tensho**!"

Ichigo swung his blade in an upward arc at the Corrupted Ancient, who watched in his own shock as a massive arc of energy shot forth from the blade and in the short distance between them engulfed him.

The crescent wave crashed into its torso, shredding bark and splintering wood as easily as paper. The Ancient was thrown two feet off its feet and into the air as the explosion occurred. It had been thrown away from the Shinigami.

Everyone watched in awe as the _massive_ Corrupted Ancient Protector was thrown off its feet and sailed through the air before crashing into the ground with a mighty thundering boom. They looked on to see its entire torso had been rent asunder and nearly snapped the creature in half.

It lay on the ground motionless.

The once dull glow within its black sap eyes finally dulling into nothing. Its mouth still wide open in shock from the attack that had defeated it, similar to those who were watching from the sidelines. Their eyes lingers on the fallen Ancient before turning to the one who defeated it.

Ichigo stood there, his blade hanging by his side and he was panting heavily. Obviously that Spell had taken a lot out of him, and from what they could feel it was more than any of them could possibly put out in a single spell of their own.

He pitched forward and nearly fell to the ground. He used his blade to keep himself from falling completely. He had sweet beading down his face and his legs were shaking slightly, obviously that attack had taken more out of him than just _a bit_ of Mana.

Turok recovered quickly and marched up to the young human, but he didn't think for a second that he was anything of the sort. There was no way that power came from the sword!

He could tell.

His instincts told him that the power was the boys. True, some artefacts have enchanted powers, but _nothing_ of that sort. And also the power drained the boy rather than the blade, which meant that the boy possessed a power that was far greater than what any of them had. But there was something about him that didn't sit right with him.

Ichigo could barely keep himself from falling over. Zangetsu was the only thing keeping him upright, and from the way his Reiatsu had been drained it was obvious that in the week since his recovery he _still_ isn't recovering his Reiatsu any faster. If this kept on happening to him if he used any Reiatsu based abilities then it would be difficult for him to fight any prolonged fights against powerful foes.

And from what he has seen, this giant ass of a tree _isn't_ the last thing that he may be contending with in the next short while.

"Ichigo." The gravelly voice of Turok alerted the young Substitute to his approaching presence.

Ichigo looked up to see him moving toward him in a hurried pace. But the way he walked and the way he was holding that gun of his made him think it was more to finish him off rather than to check on his condition... And from what he did next further confirmed that suspicion.

He stood in front of Ichigo and sized the boy up. Turok checked him over and levelled his gaze with his own.

He was gauging the boy to see what he could see beyond those human eyes that he didn't believe were just that. He wanted to know what just happened and he wanted to know right that second!

Ichigo just stood there and let him make his decision. He didn't have the strength to really fight back against all these people anyway... In the end they would likely kill him for being different. Turok turned away from Ichigo and toward something behind him. His eyes softened slightly before he moved off, looking over his shoulder Ichigo was reminded what was there.

Adelina and the late Hawnia, the former kneeling before the latter and offering a prayer to her.

Ichigo could see that the death of Hawnia was having a very huge impact on the young Druid. Her eyes were not as bright as they were before, and her expression was one of sorrow. Even though they had barely known each other, the fact that Hawnia sacrificed herself for Adelina weighed heavy on her shoulders.

He couldn't blame her, the woman had saved her live and was dead _because_ of it. That brought up some bad memories of his youth, memories he wish would have never come to pass, he just hoped that her worries and pain would not grow from her time with him.

The sound of hollowed growling caught everyone's ears.

They knew that more of the Ents were coming. They weren't in a position to fight them off, they had lost one of their own and some of them were severally injured and needed treatment.

Sadly, without Hawnia here, they would need to rely on Shikil'hi's healing abilities which were below standard and Adelina, who has yet to prove her worth outside of combat, but hopefully she was up to the task.

Turok leaned down and picked up the broken form of Hawnia.

Adelina rose to her feet slowly, everyone else looked on and waited for orders. Turok looked them over before his eyes fell on the slowly recovering Ichigo, they narrowed a little, not in completely in threat, but enough to let him know that this wasn't over.

"Move to the door, we can't stay here any longer." Ordered the Tauren Hunter, cradling the Druid in his arms before moving towards the door.

Ichigo watched as everyone went on their way towards the large wooden doors on the far side of the pit. He could see their glances toward him before they turned away and moved on, he had obviously earned their suspicion. He was so damn frustrated, he killed the thing and saved Adelina, and he's the bad guy!

_Where's_ the justice in that?

If it wasn't for him she would be dead, likely more people would be dead and they would have more to deal with than just one angry walking tree but a dozen.

Ichigo looked to his side to see Adelina passing by, her head downcast as the sorrow in her features remain firmly etched into her face. When she looked up at Ichigo all he could offer was a sad and knowing looked that showed that he understood what she was going through. She turned away from him quickly however, and moved off to join the others.

Ichigo let out a breath before hobbling after them.

* * *

Uruk and Rai were busy trying to keep the door open to allow everyone through, eventually they held it ajar enough for everyone to get through. Rai and Uruk being the last as the closed the door behind them and barricaded it with a nearby piece of wood. They then sat on the walls of the tunnel they resided in and caught their breath.

Turok had propped Hawnia against the wall and allowed her body to rest against it. He offered her a silent prayer in Taur'ahe, while Adelina and Shikil'hi were busy trying to heal everyone who had been injured in their recent battle. Ichigo remained off to the side of the group, not finding it wise to sit next to them or to close.

After all the way they were eyeing him showed that they obviously didn't trust him as much as they did before.

"What the hell are you?" Asked Shikil'hi.

Her hand aglow with green energy that went from her fingers and onto Rai who was looking at Ichigo with serious eyes.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ichigo.

He knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't just blurt out too much about himself here. The less people that know the better, after all there was no telling _how_ these people would react to his proclamation of being a _death_ deity.

"Don't try to slip past the question boy. That power that you used against the Ancient out there, it be nothing like of which I have seen before. What are you?" She barked at him.

Her hand no longer over Rai but in a fist by her sides and waiting for his answer before she beats it out of him.

"It's just an ability of mine. I can… channel Mana into my sword and send it out in a wave." Ichigo lied as smoothly as he could.

He didn't want them to think the worst of him. If he tried to tell them about Reiatsu and how it was dense and dark then they may see him trying to make excuses and then kill him.

After all, the Elves thought he was a _Demon_ from the power he used. If they acted like they did when he was there, then there was no telling _what_ these people may do if they think that as well.

He probably wouldn't leave this city in more than a few pieces.

"You think I'm gonna believe that boy? That wasn't Mana, that was something else!" She retorted.

She knew he was lying. She could feel it... She could sense the energy that was used to destroy that Corrupted Ancient. It wasn't Mana at all! She wasn't paying much attention but she couldn't tell what it was.

First she thought it was elemental, because of the lightning.

But she ruled that out when she saw that it was simply the energy rapidly being forced out of the weapon, and it _wasn't_ Mana. It wasn't exactly the right consistency.

Mana couldn't be condensed into such a focal point for so long or with that much energy. When she sensed it she was getting almost two separate feeling from it: the first was familiar, similar to when she walks through the Spirit World and the other more dark and menacing, which could mean it was Demonic in nature.

And when he somehow cleansed that Spirit, there was something about that that surprised her. She felt a very familiar presence on him, almost like primal energy, similar to nature, but the boy wasn't a Druid or a Shaman.

But he didn't have to be one to cleanse a Spirit.

Even a Warlock could do it. All they needed to do was break the Demonic or Evil bindings that held the Spirit to this world and they could pass on, but she had never met anyone of that intended profession that would do it.

"I'm telling you the truth; I can channel energy into my sword and send it out as an attack, that's how my ability works." Ichigo pressed on his lie.

He could exactly go back on it now, though it wasn't a complete lie, he was lying about what he used as an energy source.

She looked at him through narrowed eyes.

She tried to sense the energy from him again. It was small, _too_ small for her to really tell what it was, but it was growing. Slowly but surely it was reconstituting itself in his body.

This boy could be a Warlock, but it is always hard to trust one of them. After all they consort with Demons and the ones that aren't their slaves usually work to their own ends that involve making themselves more powerful. She was beginning to get the suspicion that this boy was here not to help them out of the goodness of his heart. He was here for something else, as soon as they mention Demons he was all but eager to join them in their little hint.

_'What are you after boy?'_ She thought.

"Enough, there is no time for this! We cannot stay here, we need a more secure location to bunker down and plan out our next move." Said Turok, rising from his feet and going to move through the tunnel.

"What about Hawnia?" Asked Ichigo, looking over to the fallen Druid who's body still remain where Turok had placed her.

"She will be reclaimed once our business here is done. She will be sent back to Thunderbluff to be buried with her ancestors." Said Turok, not bothering to look back at Ichigo as he moved down the hall.

Everyone else followed soon after.

Shikil'hi moved up to speak with the Hunter more privately. She spoke to the Tauren in Taur-ahe to make sure the boy didn't understand what they were speaking of.

"We cannot trust him, he is hiding something." She said quietly to Turok.

"I know, the boy's power is not normal, nor is he." Said Turok. Before Shikil'hi could ask what he meant he continued. "The boy was able to survive being thrown aside and nearly crushed, twice, by that creature and can still walk."

"Do you think he is a warlock, it is not uncommon for their kind to be powerful?"

"It's a possibility, but I think he is something else entirely. My senses tell me that he isn't natural, he isn't something that _exists_ in nature. He is not of _this_ world." Said Turok.

"A Demon perhaps? Maybe one of the Dreadlords servants?" Asked Shikil'hi.

"I do not know, but the fact that the boy was able to touch the Spirit and also knew about the Demon that was imprisoned here disturbs me. Obviously he has been here before."

"You mean Immol'thar?"

"Yes, the Spirit didn't say that it was a Demon dog, _just_ a Demon."

"He knew about it then." Said Shikil'hi. "He might even know how the Demons are here... He could possibly be responsible!"

"We have only conjecture for now, we will keep an eye on him. If he can help us reach the Demon then we will keep him, but if he proves to be a threat, Raizzariza is ready to slit his throat at a moment's notice." Replied Turok.

* * *

As they continued further down the tunnel they eventually saw a bright blue light at the end. They picked up the pace and arrived at the destination of their next target.

They had arrived in a massive circular room with massive walls. Inside they could see the Mana flowing through the room easily. It was very dense within the sanctum and would almost be mistaken as fog... And it was _brightest_ within the inner amphitheatre at the centre of the room.

As they moved further into the room they could see the bodies of many fallen Highborne, viciously torn apart and killed by the demon Immol'thar. But there were also many that had been killed around the fallen pillars that were situated around the room. Many of them had been torn apart and destroyed. _Obviously_ they were the same pillars that kept the Demon contained, but from what they could see the Highborne had died trying to maintain them, and keep the Demon inside.

But they were all _slaughtered_ for their efforts.

As they moved further inside they stepped into the inner amphitheatre area. There they could feel the energy moving against their very skin, but it wasn't just Mana and Arcane Energy.

No, it was something _much_ fouler.

In the middle of the room was a single round lowered stage where it was likely the Demon Immol'thar once was chained, but now there was a recently inscribed summoning circle etched in blood on the floor. From the amount of corpses around the foul magical rune it was likely that it was used recently. They had obviously used their blood as a sacrifice for this ritual, likely to summon more Demons here to aid him in conquering the city. How could have this happened? _What_ could have caused the Demon to get lose?

But before they could even contemplate that the far alcove shattered and from its falling debris emerged a massive beast or black scales and many red eyes. They looked on in shock at the massive Demon that charged through on all fours like a dog and roared. They barely had time to prepare for the Demon before it was upon them, ready to rend flesh and metal with its jagged teeth in its two massive maws.

* * *

**Alright there it is, hope you like it, the next chapter is full of fighting and ass kicking, so enjoy and until next time.**


	7. Chapter 06: Tank and Spank

**Hello everybody and I hope you're having a pleasant evening.**

**Now I would like to apologies for not updating a little sooner, sorry had a slight delay and will try to get them to you faster, and also I would like to thank Zaralann for Beta-Reading my story once more and helping out with the writing and context.**

**Now as some of you may know I have created a new Poll on my Profile. Which asks you if Ichigo should get a new weapon, be it a sword, a pistol, a bow, or a spear, anything like that. So please visit and cast your votes. And if you feeling particularly enthusiastic review with a suggestion on what weapon he should get and why.**

**Now on with the reviews.**

**Zaralann: Sorry for not saying that last chap, but look I mentioned you, and I will continue to do so in future chapters.**

**SoulVoid87: Don't worry, Hollow Ichigo will make a slight appearance in this chap and then later on.**

**Kaldi97: Thank you, always good to hear people's opinions.**

**Friaku: Yeah, I am a little anal about details, and cleaning, and hygiene, and many of things that I do, I'm kind of weird. LOOK TURTLES!**

**Meech Macko: if you feel that way about Ichigo's samurai honour then vote to say what he should get or not get as a secondary weapon. True Ichigo could have saved her but remember not everyone can be saved, this is as much as a learning experience for him as an adventure. Yeah but remember his Quincy powers were awakened because he was trapped in a Quincy trap, and in order for it to awaken he needs to be near other quinces, and I'm afraid that there aren't any in Azeroth.**

**As for pairings, make a suggestion and we'll see, that would be fun to see who you think he should have a romantic relationship with.**

**Rodmus87: Sort of, maybe just up to his knees, as for what class, make your own suggestion and tell me why you think so. Also are you related to SoulVoid87 you have the same last name. lol**

**Raximus: Don't worry, I have a very good Idea how I can help him recharge, but I aint gonna let it on to early, so you're gonna have to wait.**

**Ultima-owner: If you believe so then read on and you shall see, and as for the prince, you can see how quickly Ichigo can deal with him as well.**

**Reaper7: It's not that bad, some people use it to point out specific words that have a certain amount of purpose behind them that people tend to miss. But your right their not really needed, my work is as straight as a texas politician, hahahaha, I only joke, I only joke, and I'm Canadian.**

**Guest #1: Go on and vote my friend and also if you want make a suggestion on what sword he should get aswell.**

**NIX'S WARDEN: Mana and Reiatsu are very different things, he has only one source of it and that him and what leaks off of him, as for mana, think of it as a car that can run off two kinds of fuel, you have your main one (Reiatsu) and then there's the alternative fuel (Mana) that he can use in emergencies. His body run on it and he can't survive on mana indefinitely, after all his body is practically made up of spiritual energy. But for him to sort out his reiatsu problem, don't worry, we'll come to that soon. As for Resurrection, I was spoken to by another person about this and he gave me a very good response on why he should be able to get it and use it without going insane. Read on and you will see.**

**Tundrafire: Good words my friend, very good words. I will do so and show you what triumphs he will claim during his adventures.**

**Attention! Attention! The Match Between Guest #2 and Hisoka69 has begun, please take yout seats and enjoy the match.**

**Round 1: FIGHT!**

**It is true that Shinigami and Quincy's use Reiryoku to fight and that Ichigo may not need a rich amount of reishi in the atmosphere to replenish his strength but as Guest #2 pointed out it does help. After all a plant survives on three different sources of energy, the Sun, the Soil and Water, deprive it of any of the three and it will not grow and it will die. This may not be the same as Ichigo, but remember that he has grown up in a very rich environment where he could take in the energy around him like a plant does with nutrients in the soil. I am not going off and saying you are wrong and he is right, you're both right in a sense, but when an organism is thrown into a place that it is not adapted to it has difficulty trying to cope in this new environment.**

**A simple fool: Thank you, it's nice to be called the best, and I do strive to make it as realistic as possible.**

**Plums: Yeah, this isn't going to be a simple walk in the park where everyone fights and get out with a few scrapes and bruises, death in world of warcraft is much larger than one would actually think. In fact after the war with the Lich King. Around Thirty to Fifty Thousand People were killed, and that was just in the alliance, and that's not counting the other factions that took part in the battle. And also there are other wars that have been going on, dead in this realm is much more bigger than in the other, there is a lot of death in Azeroth, and it is very dark.**

**As for not sending souls, he has already caused some suspicion from the others, any more cleansing as he could cause some problems between them, and they are hunting a demon, and the group won't wait for him to cleanse several hundred spirits.**

**Adelina can fight but remember she isn't fully trained, she can fight against a trent and maybe a demon with some help but alone she isn't much of a warrior, in most of the cases where she fights she is with someone, such as Hawnia and Shikil'hi, and never alone. As for where the trail leads, as I said, there is much darkness in this world and he is going to experience much of it.**

**Guest #3: Yeah looked at that Cloak and they could work, but we aren't there just yet, and I am in conjunction with my Beta on what he should get and what she be given to the rest of them, also a cape on Ichigo, might not be half bad. As for the Dreadlord, Oh man, he is gonna get it bad, and he aint going back to the Twisted Nether, No, he is gonna be brought down hard and low, so low that they can bury him under six feet of dirt and then bury another guy on top of that another six feet under.**

**Nisemono96: It can work, he can learn from nearly anyone in this world, he can learn swordsmanship from warriors, magic from mages, control over his hollow from warlock; he can do almost anything as long as he can commit to it. But the question is if he can commit to it, after all learning an art isn't something you just do, years of training are required and then after that you have to master it.**

**Damn all we need for Ichigo then is for him to bleach his hair, get a red cloak and then get over his prudeness and then I can call this a Devil May Cry X Warcraft Crossover. Bullet to the face, got that is like the start of a good joke. "Hey you! You even been shot in the face! Do you want to?"**

**Anon4: Everyone had their own ideas on what Ichigo should do, and personally I think he should either get another sword or a bow, I have two specifically in mind but I want you opinions. As for his hollow form as I said before keep reading the responses and you will find a spot where I talked to someone about this and he gave a good review.**

**Kane: Now, when I first thought gunblade, I thought that you were just gonna rip off square enix, but then I read the rest and saw that it was actually real back in the day, weird but quite real. And you know, it has the possibility to work, I mean come on, you give an orc a sword that is a gun and he will cry like a baby in happiness. So that is why I put it on the poll, but still even if Ichigo doesn't get the gun for himself, he could see it later on in this story.**

**Nice work on bringing this information to me.**

**Guest #4: So you think he should use a bow over any other weapon, well then vote on the poll and give your opinion on what weapon he should get.**

**Thorndsword: Well that was poor choice of words on my part, sadly I think I was just trying to be humorous, oh well, Good Bye, Hope to see you another time!**

**To clarify I meant that he was going to build as a character better in a weakened state, he can still use bankai and the mask as he did before, but he can't sustain it properly because he doesn't have enough reiatsu. But if he had enough then there would be little issue in that regards and also since he leaks spiritual energy like a leaking faucet he really needs to learn some control which he will eventually. He needs to learn how to adapt to this world and he will be back on his way to becoming a total badass.**

**Saddas74: Death is a big part of warcraft, a very big part that few people actually realise about, and I do try to stick with realism as best as I can, and truly it is very dark and gritty under the surface of the game we play every day. The Cliffhanger, well I wanted to put the battle in but I wanted to make it epic and I could only do that by making it into the next chapter, also I'm a tease. Then vote and decide if he should get a new weapon, I also have that he should stay as he is, and because of your vote I put up axe. And the armour I have a few ideas about, so when he returned to Earth and fights Aizen, he will scare the shit out of everybody who sees him, its gonna be epic.**

**As for the humour, I try my best, and the updates, sorry for the delay once more, you cant rush these things sometimes. And I'm glad you like these Author Notes, helps keep people informed about my daily life and also shows of my cool use of words and letters.**

**Juggernaut715: Awesome**

**Arrankor: Most standard soldiers in armies would be given simple armour and weapons, but adventurers are more well equipped and trained than most, as on the Wowpedia sight, adventurers are like an elite force compared to normal guard and soldiers, much better trained and much more tougher than the run of the mill warriors. As for gear, they have very good gear, some can be enchanted and other are just simple clothing, after all do you think that five people could take down a guy like Loken with only five people without being the best fighters and having some of the best weapons and armour available. No, you need both to survive and adventurers are just that, survivors.**

**As for him getting a profession, I'll put up a poll later on and see about it and a relationship, sure why not, tell me about who he should get romantically involved with and then we can make a poll later.**

**Draton: Glad to hear that, hope you can get to Panderia and have some fun with everyone else and I'm glad you like the story aswell.**

**Hisoka69: I think this isn't really directed to me so I'll just leave you to it.**

**Xemmnas: Yeah, that's how it goes sometimes, nice guys may finish last but the bad who finish first are also the ones to die the same way.**

**Well there you have it, all the reviews are done and now you can read the story, hope you enjoy and hope you vote and review.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 06: Tank and Spank!**

Ichigo leapt out of the way as the massive black claw descended towards him. The once neat and flat tiled floor cracked and ruptured. Landing once more Ichigo had to leap away again as large serrated teeth threatened to bite him in half. Swinging his sword across his chest he was able to leave a shallow cut on the beast snout, but it did nothing more than enrage the Void Terror to attack once more.

This time its other head moved to bite down on him. Ichigo was forced to use Shunpo to escape lest he be bitten in half and likely swallowed. He didn't want to end up like the rest of the poor bastard that was still stuck between the Demons teeth.

Ichigo landed a few meters to Immol'thar's right. Ichigo held Zangetsu in front of him in a ready position. Sadly he was not in the best condition to use it. He used a lot of his Reiatsu to take down that Corrupted Ancient. He could still use Shunpo to its full potential, but if he kept using it too much, it was likely he would tire himself out and then the Demon would get him when he was at his weakest...

But luckily he wasn't alone in this fight.

Turok was giving him some backup... As much as it was great to have him fighting by his side, having the others here would be much more helpful.

Uruk was thrown through a stone alcove as soon as the demon made its appearance and Rai was nearly mauled after getting stomped on by the Demon. Luckily, only his legs were pinned otherwise he would have been crushed. But now Adelina and Shikil'hi were trying to heal them as quickly as possible to get them back in the fight, but Uruk was still unconscious and as for Rai, bones are harder to heal than flesh wounds.

An explosion rocked the side of the Void Terror's left head. It let out a roar as the flames brushed over its single Cyclopean eye. Ichigo attacked, rushing towards it, hoping to catch the creature while it was dazed. But as he drew close the creature lashed out with its other head.

Ichigo leapt away as the right head moved to devour him whole. He cursed as he was forced back again. He couldn't get an opening on this thing without it seeing him coming.

Another shot rang out through the entire building, and another ping sounded as a bullet just managed to pierce through the Demon's hide and into the soft tissue beneath. But sadly it _wasn't_ enough to cause it much harm.

He knew that he couldn't rely on just his normal physical abilities to carry himself through this fight; he needed to use all of his abilities to beat this thing. Ichigo crouched low and charged forward. The Void Terror saw him coming and lashed out.

Waiting for the right moment he Shunpo'ed above the Demon and lashed out with Zangetsu. With a wide swing he was able to cut off two of the strange eye tentacles on the Demon's back. It let out a roar before leaping to the side to get away from Ichigo.

The young Shinigami landed in a crouch and didn't let up on his attack, charging forward once more. He brought back Zangetsu and when he was in range he Shunpo'ed to the demon's side, swinging quickly. He was able to dig a deep gauge in the side of its right front leg.

Another roar escaped its lips, but it wasn't quick as last time to dodge. Ichigo followed up with another attack after slashing its leg, this time he went for its exposed flank, and was able to cut a gash in its side before he was forced to jump away. Ichigo stared at the creature and it did the same to him. The wounds to its leg and side do little but irritating the Demon, its large red cyclopean eyes on each of its heads narrowed at the Substitute. Ichigo raised Zangetsu and waited for the attack to come, but what happened next surprised him. The Void Terror had disappeared, in a simple flash of white light and _swoosh_, and it was gone.

_'Did it turn Invisible?'_ Though Ichigo.

But no sooner had the beast disappear did it reappear, right behind Ichigo. Ichigo had only a second to register the massive paw that flew at his left side before he was struck. The force of the massive appendage striking him knocked the wind out of him and his left arm out of its socket.

He sailed through the air for a few seconds before he slammed into the side of the inner amphitheatre wall. The wall crumbled and Ichigo was buried under a few pieces of rubble. Tossing them aside with his one good arm Ichigo got back to his feet. The pain he felt go through his body was only numbed because of the adrenaline that was going through his body and the Reiatsu that kept him from being turned into mush from that previous attack.

_'It teleported!'_ Though Ichigo. Looking up at the Void Terror as it stalked towards him. _'It can fucking_ teleport_ itself! Is this thing even an animal?'_

Ichigo raised Zangetsu once more, and when he did the Demon charged forward. Not wanting him to get the chance to prepare for another counter-attack, Ichigo prepared to Shunpo out of the way when the Demon was forced to a halt. Around Immol'thar's feet an explosion of mist and blue light enveloped the Demon, and when it dissipated they could see that the Demons right leg had been ensnared in a pillar of ice, trapping it.

Ichigo looked over to Turok who was reloading his gun and glanced over to Ichigo. With a motion of his head he called the young Substitute over. Ichigo rushed forward and joined Turok on the inside of the Amphitheatre, their back pressed against the wall.

"That trap won't hold it for long; we need to kill it before it gets one of us." Said Turok, before grabbing the boys arm and examining it.

It was definitely dislocated, but luckily not broken.

"Can you hit it with another one of your explosive bullets?" Asked Ichigo, wincing as the Tauren looked over his arm.

"It's skin is thick and they don't penetrate well, and I have only a few explosive rounds left. I don't want to waste them." Said the Tauren.

"Would you rather it eats us?" Barked Ichigo.

"No, but these bullets are quite expensive." Replied Turok nonchalantly, before popping the boy's arm back in its socket. Ichigo let out a loud groan before nursing his 'fixed' arm. "We can still do this; we just need to hit it hard and fast. If we allow it to keep this up it will eventually get one of us."

"Yeah, that teleportation thing nearly did me in. Had it tried to bite me I would probably be dead." Said Ichigo, flexing his arm to get the feeling back into it and making sure nothing else had been broken.

Then, before he could say another word Turok grabbed hold of him and rushed away from the wall. A moment later and the entire wall exploded as the Demon barged through it like it were made out of nothing more than cardboard. It snarled and roared at them angrily.

"Keep it busy, and try to think up a plan."

Turok released Ichigo and rushed off out the alcove and back into the open area of the Colosseum.

Ichigo turned back to try and shout at him but was forced to leap out of the way as the demon charged at him once more. Rolling back to his feet Ichigo held Zangetsu deftly in front of him, his left arm still was numb and hard to move freely but it was only a minor handicap. For the next few minutes he was forced to dodge the creature continuous barrage of swipes and bites. While Turok took pot-shots at the Demon from a distance, but they did nothing against the Void Terror. The poisons didn't slow it down and the armour rounds seem to just penetrate and do no more damage than a damn splinter.

Ichigo couldn't even attack anything vital!

Every time he used Shunpo to get close he could only wound it, and those wounds were nothing more than paper cuts against its scaly skin and he couldn't get anywhere vital. It's stomach was too low to the ground and if he tried he would be crushed and the same went for the neck. If he went too low he would be crushed and if he went up it would lash out with one of those tentacles.

Also, the fact that the Demon wouldn't stay still for more than a second or two before attacking again make planning the tactic against it harder. So he couldn't think of a plan while dodging its claws and teeth, he also was now contending against its teleportation ability that put an Espada's Sonído to shame.

The only thing keeping him alive was the momentary effect before the creature disappears. A glow around it's body, a second before it blinked from one point to another. It was during that point that he had to Shunpo out of the way or be eaten.

It was just after he dodged one of the attacks that Ichigo glanced through the alcove. He saw one of the pylons in the distance, he saw that it was still active and intact, albeit barely.

Maybe it was what was keeping the Demon from leaving this Colosseum, but that was besides what he was thinking. It was large, floating off the ground and had a very sharp point at its tip, and perfect to put a nice little dent in this creature's hide! As he looked back at the Demon he saw it massive maw just a few feet ahead of him.

Not enough time to dodge, he did the only thing he could: try and stop it from chowing down on him.

Putting his hand on the top of its mouth and his foot on the bottom lip. He hoped to keep it from slamming its jaws down on him.

He was partly successful...

The creature was trying to bite Ichigo in half but thanks to his enhanced strength that wasn't going to happen. But when the Demon charged right through the Inner amphitheatre wall and then continued on towards the outermost wall, Ichigo knew that this wasn't going to be pleasant. The first wall was bad enough but _that_ one was a _lot_ thicker.

Ichigo didn't wait for the wall to come to him.

He pulled back Zangetsu and slammed it through the roof of the Demons mouth. A roar escaped the second head's throat before the beast tumbled forward and smashed into the wall. Ichigo was knocked out of the Demons mouth, but his grip on Zangetsu had been lost. Looking up he could see a feign glow of silver inside the demons right heads mouth. It looked like Zangetsu was still stuck in there.

He cursed under his breath. Without his Zanpakutō he wouldn't stand a chance! The Demon caught sight of the young Substitute and let out a dual-headed roar: one was loud and menacing and the other was whimpering and pained.

_'Well, at least I have only one head to deal with.'_ Thought Ichigo.

No sooner did he think that, did he see the tell-tale signs that the Demon was about to _blink_, and like the beast he disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Adelina watched from behind a broken pylon as Ichigo and Turok were busy trying to take down the Demon.

Ichigo had just lost his sword and was forced to run or be killed. She knew that if he couldn't defend himself he would be killed soon enough. She had seen him use that strange blink ability of his, which was odd. She thought that when you use a teleportation spell it usually creates a miniature portal around you and then teleports that person to a specific spot. But that didn't look anything like that! It was like he would blur out and then appear somewhere nearby, like he was moving really fast. But that was _impossible_, no one could move that fast.

She watched as he narrowly dodged the creature maw, and then again when it's paw came down to crush him.

She could see that without a weapon he was practically defenceless.

She fidgeted frantically...

She needed to help him!

"Girl! What are you doing?" Barked Shikil'hi, bringing the young Night Elf's thoughts back to her current situation.

That's right; she was healing Uruk, who was still unconscious, and badly beaten. She had healed most of the damage, but his armour and his bones were still not in the best shape as they could be. She would need Shikil'hi to help heal him. How she wished Hawnia was still here, the weight of her sacrifice was still heavy on her shoulders.

Another roar and she looked over to see Ichigo and Turok were not doing well against the Demon.

He was going to die if she didn't so something. She looked around for anything that she could use. There were no plant life she could manipulate into coming to life and offering whatever assistance they could, nor could she summon roots to attack the Demon. Her Moonfire would only force the Demon away from Ichigo and onto her, which he would likely be forced to save her and that will hinder him.

She needed to do something, to give him a weapon he could use to fight.

She looked down at Uruk and saw beside him his axe, the large savage looking weapon that would likely carve through anything if you put enough effort into it... This is the perfect weapon for Ichigo!

She leapt over the knocked out Orc and grabbed his weapon. She groaned as she lifted the heavy weapon and then using what strength she had she ran out from behind the pylon and towards the battle. Seeing this Rai and Shikil'hi tried to call her to a stop.

"Stop! You'll get yourself killed!" Shouted Rai.

"Come back 'ere you idiot!" Bellowed Shikil'hi.

"Damn it! Go get her an' drag her back!" Said Rai towards his fellow Troll. Shikil'hi grunted before getting up and chasing after the foolish girl, leaving a very _less_ wounded Rai with Uruk who was none the wiser to what was going on. "Hope he doesn't get mad 'bout de axe."

* * *

Ichigo was forced to Shunpo away from the Demon once more as it appeared to his right and attempted to catch the Substitute between its jaws. Ichigo landed a few feet away and was panting heavily. He was using too much Reiatsu and he didn't even have Zangetsu to try and fight back! If he didn't get Zangetsu back he wouldn't last much longer, but with that things jaws shut tightly around his blade there wasn't anything he was going to be able to do about getting it back.

"Ichigo!" The Substitute looked to his left and felt shock pass through his body and over his features.

Worry and anger began to rise in his chest. Adelina was charging towards him, and in her hands was Uruk's axe.

"Don't! Run! Get out of here!" Shouted Ichigo, trying to keep Adelina away from him.

If she got to close she would be killed.

"Ichigo, take the Axe!" She shouted at him.

He sent her a confused looked. She was trying to give him the axe? What the hell was he going to do with that?

_'__**Use it, you fucking idiot!**__'_ Came a dark hollowed rebuke from in his own mind, and he knew that it was his Inner Hollow who was talking.

Ichigo turned away from Adelina and towards the Demon... Who was now rushing forward again to slam into the young substitute.

Ichigo prepared to Shunpo away but an explosion rocked the side of the Void Terror's leg just as it prepared to step down on it, causing it to slip and fall. Ichigo turned to Turok and saw him reloading his gun. As he put the next bullet into the slot he turned towards the Substitute to shout a command.

"Take the axe! You can do more good with a weapon then without!"

Ichigo looked at him for a moment before Shunpoing over toward Adelina, startling the poor girl and taking the axe from her. Behind her, Shikil'hi appeared and began to scold the girl for acting so reckless.

Ichigo ignored it and moved back towards the Demon. Brandishing the **Dark Iron Sunderer** in hand, he charged towards the Demon, ready to carve it up.

Immol'thar was back on its feet and ready for the boy, but when Ichigo Shunpoed to the side and struck, it couldn't react. First he cut a deep horizontal slash along its leg before swinging his blade up to cut into its side and then swinging it right at the Demon's hind leg. The blade cut through its thick hide and into the soft tender meat below. Blood and shattered scales flew from its hind leg and a roar of pain escaped its lips.

_'This axe actually cut through!'_ Though Ichigo in wonder.

_How_ did this axe get through its leg when his _Zanpakutō_ couldn't?

Maybe there was more to this weapon than just it being a simple axe?

He leapt away from the Demon as it tried to turn towards him. Ichigo looked over his shoulder and saw the flickering pylon just a few metres away from him. He looked back to his axe and then the Demon that was staring at him with a glare that could kill. He had an idea _how_ he could finish this but he needed Zangetsu, and he had another idea on how to do that, which would either get him killed or get his weapon back without a hitch.

The Demon charged forward.

Ichigo brought his axe up above his head and waited for the Demon to get close. He looked like he was planning on splitting the Demon's head in two with the axe, but the truth was he wasn't going to be doing anything of the sort. No, his plan was a little simpler.

With a hard throw he tossed the axe towards the Demon. It twirled through the air before it embedded itself in the eye of the left head. The Demon stopped before roaring out in pain. As it did, Ichigo saw Zangetsu glimmering inside its maw. He charged forward to reclaim it, while the Demon was distracted. He leapt through the air and towards the Demon's gaping maw.

Landing on its slimy tongue he reached and grabbed hold of Zangetsu, but as his hand touched the metal hilt the Demon's maw slammed shut. His entire world went dark and he had the distinct impression that the creature's saliva was poisonous and possibly acidic as his clothing and skin started to tingle.

* * *

Turok looked on in shock as the young human boy was swallowed whole by the Demon. He didn't think the boy would be _so_ foolish! To jump into the creature's mouth to get his weapon when he had one in hand!? What was _wrong_ with him? He could see the Demon turn its gaze toward him and prepare to attack. Turok readied his gun and himself for the inevitable attack, but what happened next shocked him. The Demon began to fidget and its left head began to shake around violently.

Then from the tip of its head a faint silver object could be seen.

Turok could see it but not discern _what_ it was, but he knew that it was hurting the Demon. The blood and the creatures strained efforts to prevent itself from screaming said so. But _what_ was it?

_'No, it couldn't be!'_ thought Turok.

The sheer lucidity of it was _impossible_ to believe!

Then the sound of flesh tearing and blood splattering on the ground could be heard.

The top of the creature head from its crown down to the top of its jaw was cut in half, creating a wide opening for a certain someone to leap out. Covered in blood and saliva he leapt from the creatures ruptured head.

_He_ leapt free from the confines of the creature's maw, _his_ sword back in hand and the axe which was once embedded in its eye held in _his_ other hand.

_He_ landed on the ground in front of the Demon and slowly lifted _him_self up.

_He_ brandished both weapons in _his_ hands and turned towards the Demon.

The Demon had recovered but the left head was as good as dead, only the right remain, and from the look in its eye it was not happy about the loss of its twin.

It shot forward to consume the young Substitute, but Ichigo countered the attack with both of his weapons. With Zangetsu he slashed at its face and knocked it off course and saved himself from being eaten. Then with the Sunderer he cut a deep gash along its neck. The Demon recoiled and tried to stomp Ichigo beneath its scaly paw but the young Shinigami leapt away from the attack easily.

Ichigo turned to look over his shoulder to see the pylon once more and a way to end this quickly. He leapt forward and sunk the axe into Demon's paw and then leapt away. The Demon let out a roar before it charged after Ichigo, which is exactly what he wanted it to do, and it was falling right into his trap.

"Turok, get ready to trap it when I tell you!" Shouted Ichigo over to the Hunter, who didn't say or make a move to acknowledge his command, but he knew he would do it.

Ichigo reached the pylon and leapt at the glowing crystal suspended above the dais. With both, axe and the sword, he struck the stand. As expected, the field that kept the crystal above the ground disappeared and let it fall to the ground. It slowly started tilting towards him.

Turning around he saw the Demon right on his tail. Seeing a chance to hurt it further he backed right up to the stand and waited. When the Demon drew close enough, he Shunpo'ed to the side and allowed it to slam itself into the stand. It rocked the metal stand and was dazed momentarily, so much that it didn't notice the falling pillar until it slammed against its head. A mighty crash as the pylon connected with the top of its head and smashed it into the stone tiled floor.

The pillar shattered, leaving a good portion of it in many pieces on the ground and around the Demon. The Demon, which looked like it had a concussion, swayed side to side as it tried to shake off the wave of dizziness that had assaulted it. Ichigo looked down at the many shards of the pylon with a grimace.

The pylon had been broken and there wasn't a single shard bigger than a bowling ball on the ground. He hoped to use it to impale the creature, but with it in pieces it was likely that wasn't going to happen.

He turned too searched for anything when he noticed a single shard, three times as long as Ichigo was tall, and it had the same diameter as Zangetsu was wide, and still looked like it was in good shape to do what he needed it to.

He turned to the sound of a thundering charge. The Demon was back in the game and coming right for him. Ichigo rolled to the side and rushed past the Demon, going straight for the shard. As he did he shouted towards Turok, who in fraction of a second send out a shot towards the Demon. Its hind legs were frozen in place and keeping it from turning and facing the retreating Ichigo.

Ichigo stood beside the crystal and knew that he wouldn't be able to lift it, but he could still throw it, he just needed a tether. He looked to his two weapons and an idea came to mind, a smile came to his face as he slammed the axe into the ground and had the shaft pointing towards him. Having the cloth at the end of Zangetsu coil around his arms and over shoulders and down his other arm he tied it off at the end of the axe. He examined it and was confident it would hold. He then swung his axe into the crystal vertically and then did the same with his sword, he them jumped back and allowed the cloth to tug against the blade and axe.

He then turned towards the Demon as it shattered its bonds and turned toward Ichigo. It's large red eye glaring at him, and Ichigo doing the same with narrowed brown eyes, both as a glare and to aim at his target. He moved towards the Demon and dragged the crystal forward, and when he had enough speed he pulled the two cloths hard and shot the crystal forward like a javelin.

The Demon's many eyes widened both on it only living head and the ones on its back. The javelin travelled along its course and would impale its entire head at the speed it was going! But the only problem was that the Demon wasn't stupid enough to let that happen. It couldn't _jump_ out of the way but it could _swipe_ it away.

Its claw shot up and knocked the crystal into the air; it spun around like a windmill and went forty feet into the air. Ichigo watched as the crystal flew through the air and continued to rise, but he wasn't disheartened. No, he was annoyed that he was going to have to do just a little bit more.

Rushing forward he leapt at the demons head, jumping over the raised paw, he landed on its snout.

Raising his axe he slammed it down on the creature's forehead, and when he did that Ichigo released his hold on the axe shaft and crouched low. When the Demon let out a roar and shot its head high, Ichigo jumped. He flew straight towards the shard that was now beginning its descent. The cloth connected to his axe followed and stretched, to accommodate the distance between the weapon and the wielder.

Ichigo was now beside the crystal and ready to put it back into use. He put Zangetsu in a reverse grip and then stabbed it from over his chest into the crystal. The crystal now ran parallel to his arm; he stopped its rotations and then pointed the massive pale blue crystal at its victim. He them pulled hard on the cloth connected to the axe.

He fell from the sky quickly towards the void terror, who could only watch in complete horror as the boy descended towards him, the crystal alongside him ready to pierce its skull like it was some sort of ridiculously oversized spear. With a roar Ichigo impaled the Demon's head, going through its red eyes and then through its skull and finally halting after puncturing the stone floor beneath.

The Demon shuddered as its last and only remaining brain was forced to try and compensate for the trauma it had just received. But the Demon's body went limp and its head slowly drifted down the lengths of the crystal and sprawled itself against the floor.

The void terror of Dire Maul.

Immol'thar.

Was dead.

* * *

Ichigo pulled the axe free from the creatures head and leapt off, stumbling as he landed.

Obviously now that the battle was over and the adrenaline was wearing down he was now under the full effects of exhaustion. His breathing became more rapid and he just now realised how weak he felt at the moment. He was actually struggling to keep the axe in his hand, and he couldn't help that he just wanted to drop Zangetsu and the axe and just lie down and go to sleep.

Then he remembered something. He went into his pouch and pulled out two veils, one blue and one red, a Health and Mana potion. One for his aching body and the other to perk him back up.

He drowned them greedily. Ignoring the liquorice taste, he was more than happy to wet his dry throat. He could feel his strength returning and his aches and pain subsiding.

He then pulled out an animal hide water pouch and took several mouthfuls of water. He let out a happy sigh before turning to see that Turok was approaching, his gun on his shoulder and an impassive look on his face. When he was close he stopped and looked from Ichigo to the Demon before back to him.

"That was your plan?" Asked Turok.

"Couldn't think of anything else..." Replied Ichigo with a tired smile before taking another mouthful of water before putting it back in his pouch.

"I am willing to bet if Raizzariza saw you, he would think you're trying to outshine him..." Said Turok, before turning and walking over to where everyone else was currently hiding.

* * *

Ichigo followed closely behind, sheathing Zangetsu and carried the massive axe over his left shoulder. When they arrived they found a downcast Adelina who was being berated by Shikil'hi, Rai who was ignoring it and doing crouches to test out his legs and Uruk who was beginning to stir.

"I advise you put down the axe, Uruk doesn't like it when people touch his things. And since you're... human, he wouldn't take it too well..." Said Turok.

But Ichigo noticed the delay when he mentioned him being human. It was only a for a small second but it was there and the way he face slightly twitched and his eyes hardened showed that he thought nothing of the sort.

Ichigo nodded and placed the axe down beside the Orc. As he did Adelina looked up and saw him and she beamed. She rushed over and looked him over, like a child she made sure he was alright.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to heal you?" She asked quickly, her hands already dancing with green energy to heal him.

"It's okay, I'm fine." Said Ichigo with a small smile on his face trying to keep her from going overboard about trying to help.

After all, most of the time it would involve her getting into danger and him having to save her.

"Hey, I'm still talkin' to you!" Shouted Shikil'hi, marching over to the Night Elf and berating her further. "You can't just take someone's axe and then go off and put yourself in danger! You could be killed! Others could be killed!"

Adelina's head sunk down again but Ichigo couldn't really feel too bad for her. She did take Uruk's axe and then rush out into a fight she wouldn't stand a chance in... But if not for that he would likely have never survived against that Demon. But still no matter how it worked this time, it doesn't mean that next time it will work out the same way. Ichigo put a hand on the Shaman's shoulder to stop her ranting and raving at the poor girl.

"I think she understands." Said Ichigo.

Removing his hand, before the Shaman sneered at him and walked off. Adelina looked towards Ichigo with a smile but it fell when his scowl was there.

"She is right, you shouldn't have done that." Said Ichigo.

"But… But I helped!" She stammered, sad that he wasn't defending her.

"Listen; if you charge in like that you will get yourself hurt. Maybe even _killed_! I can't have you going in to danger when I'm trying to protect you. I want you to stay back and safe." Reasoned Ichigo, with all seriousness in his voice.

She looked at him for a moment before nodding and looking down again.

She did it again...

She made another mistake...

"Uruk, are you able to move?" Asked Turok, who was standing over the now fully conscious Orc.

His response was the Orc grabbing his axe and hefting himself off the ground and stood ready to move on to the next opponent.

"Where's that Demon?" Uruk growled, making Ichigo a little worried that he may attack him for taking _his_ kill...

With _his_ axe...

_Without_ his permission...

"Dead." Replied Turok casually, before turning and moving off.

There was a large alcove near the far side of the colosseum that was closed off, likely the location of the Athenaeum and Prince Thortheldrin.

Ichigo scowled a bit. He was the second person in this place he had on his hit list.

First was the Dreadlord and the other was that treacherous _Prince_. He couldn't stand to see so many people suffer like that. When his business was done here he would go back and see if he could help them.

* * *

As they pushed open the doorway they came to a well maintained and tiled hallway. Burning goblets lit the corridor and gave off a warm orange hue. The floor had intricately designed mosaic tiling that showed off a very beautiful array of colours. The only sound that passed through the hall was the sound of the fires crackling and the tapping of footsteps as the party of six were moving through it. No words passed between them, they knew where this led and knew who they would be facing when they got there.

Soon they saw an end to the hall.

Opening into a very large area.

Their pace did not quicken. Instead their pace slowed as they drew near. The enemy they were dealing with was someone they should not take lightly. After all he has been siphoning off the Demon's energy for nearly _ten thousand years_, and most of it has been transferred to him for the last few centuries... So he would likely be _very_ powerful and definitely possess some sort of fighting capabilities other than using Magic.

Ichigo had his hand on the hilt of Zangetsu, Turok silently cocked back the hammer on his gun, Rai had his one hand on his rapier and the other held his pistol, Shikil'hi for the first time had drawn her mace as well as a small round metal shield.

They entered the hall and immediately Rai and Turok shot around the corners with their guns up. While Uruk and Ichigo shot forward to counter anything that was to close, the Druid and Shaman held back to offer what support may be needed.

But there was _nothing_ but a large library. They were on a balcony that overlooked the entire thing. Below them they saw a large book shelf that stretched to the roof, a staggering twenty five feet tall and eighty long, nearly separating the one room into two. Along the walls of the massive stone walled room was many smaller bookshelf's and tables with many assorted items from weapons, armor and other trinkets that varied in size and design. Many separate doorways led into smaller rooms that were simple storage rooms to full scale library are similar to the one they were in right now.

But there was _something_ missing...

There was _no one else_ here.

They slowly went down the stairs, Uruk leading the group down, with Turok and Rai behind him, followed by Shikil'hi and Adelina, and taking up the rear was Ichigo. His eyes scanning all around for anything that may come their way.

As they reached the ground floor they began their search.

* * *

Splitting into groups they moved to search for the Prince. Ichigo, Rai and Adelina moved off to the left hand side of the large bookshelf, while Turok, Uruk and Shikil'hi stay on the right to look for anything out of the ordinary.

Ichigo scanned the area ahead of him and saw nothing. But he could see that this place was bustling with activity very recently. There was little dust on the books on the table and the armor and amulets were clean. So they obviously left in a hurry. He could see on one table was a set of armor, one was a pair of green metal greaves, another was what appeared to be yellowish leg guards that had been dismantled, and another was a green shoulder-guard with a high neck guard.

As Ichigo was looking over the pieces of armor, he saw in the yellow reflective plates someone behind him. Turning he looked up to see a man falling towards him, two large double ended blades in hands ready to eviscerate the young Shinigami and his two companions.

Ichigo grabbed Adelina and leapt away from the man, while Rai was able to dodge on his own accord. The unknown Elf landed between them, to his left was Ichigo and Adelina and to his right was Rai. He had long snow white hair and a stern face. Around his forehead and concealed under his hair was a golden crown. He wore armor of gold and emerald, covering nearly his entire body. In his hands were a dual-bladed swords, he held them deafly by his side with ease.

He looked between the three and when his gaze fell on Ichigo his eyes narrowed.

"You! It is you who has brought this ruin upon me and my people!" He shouted, before charging at the young Substitute.

Ichigo pushed Adelina aside and drew Zangetsu. He was able to halt the first blade, but when the second came he had to twist out of the way or be skewered.

A small gash appeared on his side. Ichigo backed away from the swordsman as Rai moved in to attack, raising his pistol he took aim and fired. The bullet moved quickly towards the Elf's head, but in a feat of _impossible_ speed and awareness the Elf dodged.

Without looking he crouched under the bullet and then turned towards Rai and attacked. The Troll dropped his gun and went for his sword breaker, as he pulled it free from its sheath he deflected a trust to his heart. Before he swung it back at the Elf, who blocked it with his second dual-bladed sword, but as his sword breaker made contact and before he could lock the weapon down the man twisted the blade in his hand.

Removing the blade from under Rai's and then spinning the other blade at Rai from a different angle than before. Leaning back and bringing up his rapier he was able to deflect the blow away without injury, but then he was forced to defend against a swing aimed for his unprotected right side. Twisting his rapier to block the strike he barely could hold the blade back as well as prevent his sword from shattering against the larger weapon.

Then from his left the other dual-blade came at him, raising his sword breaker he did the same as he did with his rapier. With both weapon against his own, he didn't have time to react to what the man did next.

He twisted the blades in his hands again, this time he was able to twist them so they were now on the opposite side of Rai's blade, and inside his guard.

Ria's eyes widened before he leapt away, knowing what was coming next.

But that didn't stop the Elf from cutting two gashed along his stomach. Had he not moved he may have been cut in half! Rai landed a few feet back and pressed his hand against his stomach. It was shallow, didn't get anything tender, which _was_ good... Had he stayed but a moment longer, his guts might be on the floor instead of where they belong. This guy was _good_! _Very_ good!

And there was likely _one_ person in this entire place that could be _that_ good, and that was the Prince of Eldre'Thalas, Prince Tortheldrin, which means he was going to be a tough customer to beat.

Behind the prince Ichigo charged forward with Zangetsu ready and swung it down hard at the Elf, but the Prince simply raised one blade overhead without looking and then stabbed backward with his other blade. Ichigo was forced to strafe to the side to avoid the attack. This allowed the Prince to follow up by knocking Ichigo's Zanpakutō off his right blade and then twisting around to deliver a wide swing at the Shinigami with the left.

Ichigo leaned back to avoid the strike but left himself vulnerable to the right blade that moved to stab him through the heart. Seeing no other option, Ichigo kicked his leg up and knocked the blade off course and up, just passing over his head. Ichigo fell back and hit the ground, but as he did the blade he just knocked away twisted around and threatened to stab him again.

But an orb of energy veered towards the Elf Prince and he was forced to leap away lest he be struck. As he landed, Ichigo looked over to see Adelina was standing there with a simple wooden staff in hand, with a jagged shaft and a round bobble headpiece.

The Elf turned to deflect another attack from the Troll, who tried to stab him through the back, but he was able to twist around and push away the blade, then the sword breaker moved to lop off the Elf's head. But _again_ it was blocked by the Elf's sword, who twisted his blade along with Ria's sword breaker overhead and knocked Troll off balance. This left him open to the Elf's leg that connected with his stomach.

Rai was knocked off his feet and into the large bookshelf. The books fell from the stand and the shelf cracked under the force of the Troll's body striking the wood. Rai looked up and saw Ichigo was on the offensive again.

This Elf was _much_ stronger than they were all together! That power he had been taking from the demon had made him _very_ powerful _and_ dangerous, and he knew that he hasn't even begun to use all his power against them.

Rai got to his feet and charged towards the Elf and hoped that whatever was taking the other so long to get here isn't going to delay them to much longer otherwise they were as good as dead.

* * *

**Other side of the Athenaeum**

Turok ducked behind the pillar as an arrow came towards his head. He pulled back out to shoot at his assailant, a young looking Night Elf archer was on the far side of the library firing arrows at them, and about a minute ago they were attacked by a large bear. Then they were attacked by an archer, who was able to strike Shikil'hi with a Silencing Arrow. She said it was barbed and she couldn't get it out. With that arrow in her leg she wouldn't be able to use any of her Magic to fight.

Uruk was busy trying to fight off the bear, which seemed to be _undead_, as no matter how much he hacks into its hide it doesn't seem to go down and its size makes it difficult to fight, which was about as tall as the Orc without it standing on its hind legs.

Turok peeked out of cover to locate his quarry, but an arrow impacted against the side of the pillar, shattering the stone and leaving a small cloud of dust around the point of impact, forcing him to duck behind it again. This archer was well armed and had good aim. It was only thanks to the fact of his training that he was still _alive_. It was also because of that training that she took him as a serious threat and focused on him while Uruk tried to kill the bear and Shikil'hi tried to get an arrow out of her leg.

He pulled back the hammer on his gun and pulled out of cover and attacked.

He fired at a shelf where the Elf was hiding, the bullet cut through the books and the wood with no more difficulty than the air it travelled through between here and there.

But the Elf was _still_ alive.

She leapt out of the cover and while in a crouch fired at the Tauren, her arrow sailing towards him. But in a feat one would not think possible for someone so large, Turok dodged the bolt and fired once more. She rose quickly and leapt into the air and over the attack, which shattered the wall behind her.

She landed and was forced to roll away as another bullet sailed towards her. She drew three arrows from her bow and fired them at the Tauren simultaneously.

Turok quickly leapt out of the way as the arrows moved, his power over the Aspect the only thing saving him from crippling injury. He hid behind a large bookcase and reloaded his gun.

She was a _very_ hard opponent to put down!

As he finished loading his weapon he heard the sound of a bow string being let loose and his instinct told him to look up. When he did he saw the sight of a single arrow being shot into the air above him and then a flash as the arrow shattered and over a dozen more appeared, all of which fell towards him! He tried to get away but the pain of many arrows piercing his back made it apparent that wouldn't be happening.

* * *

**Reliquary**

Ichigo grunted as he slammed into the bookshelf.

His fight against this _Prince_ was a lot harder than he expected it to be! He didn't think that this guy would be so good with a sword, hell he hasn't ever met someone who _could_ use a sword like that! He could match up to a Captain's skill easily... Maybe even better!

He and Rai had been fighting against this guy for ten minutes and both couldn't even scratch the elf, yet he was able to land multiple blows on them without breaking a sweat and now Ichigo was on his own. Rai had tried to lock down on of the bastards blades with his sword breaker and when that happened the Prince twisted his own blade and actually forced Rai's sword breaker out of his own hands!

Which left him vulnerable to the Prince.

He was now against the far wall with Adelina trying to stem the bleeding and stop him from dying, which left the Shinigami in his current situation as it was.

Ichigo looked up to see the Prince above him ready to deliver the killing strike. Ichigo ducked to the left and avoided the blade as it cut through the shelf, before the Prince twisted on his heels and send the second blade in his left hand towards the young Shinigami's neck. Ducking under the attack he listened as the blade struck wood once more and would have attacked himself had the Elf not followed up with another one of his own. A trust towards Ichigo with his right blade forced him to roll forward to avoid being impaled through the collar.

Ichigo rolled back onto his feet and turned back towards the Prince, who continued his relentless attack on the Substitute. For every strike the Elf made he had a dozen other possible follow-up attacks for however Ichigo countered it.

And many of those ended with Ichigo getting wounded in some way.

His kimono had been cut to pieces by the Prince's onslaught... In fact _most_ of his upper Shihakushō had been reduced to nothing but a piece of cloth hanging over his right shoulder, and over the rest of his body were many cuts.

Ichigo slammed his blade down on the top of the Elf's left dual-blade, but as he pressed down on it the blade twisted out of the way and made him stumble forward...

_Right_ into the path of the twisting blade as it move toward his neck.

Ichigo leaned to the side to avoid it. He wanted to attack but was force to try and raise his blade in time to deflect an attack aimed for his heart. He was able to deflect the blade up and away but it still grazed his shoulder.

But what followed up was unavoidable.

The Prince twisted and with his left blade he stabbed at Ichigo's exposed stomach, the blade pierced his stomach and through his lower back. A scream of pain escaped Ichigo's lips as the blade pushed him to the floor. Crouching next to him and over Zangetsu, trapping his blade under the Elf's knee, the Prince sneered down at the boy below. His anger clearly seen in his glowing eyes.

Ichigo could only grimace at the pain that was racing through his body after being stabbed... He _had_ been before but _nothing_ as _bad_ as _this_.

"You will pay for bringing that Demon here boy." Whispered the Prince in a dark and twisted tone.

Tortheldrin raised his other sword and planned on finishing the boy off. As the blade moved to stab his heart Ichigo grabbed the Princes wrist, halting the blade from reaching its target. The Prince pressed down harder, but Ichigo held on for dear life.

The Prince then twisted the blade in Ichigo's stomach, eliciting a painful scream and allowing the blade to travel that much closer to his chest.

But Ichigo didn't let up.

He kept the blade at bay and while fighting through the pain he thought of a way out.

He looked at Zangetsu.

Even though the prince had it pressed down on the ground with his body, he didn't know Ichigo was stronger than he thought. With a roar Ichigo lifted Zangetsu, startling the Prince as he was lifted from the ground and thrown away.

He had enough discipline to keep a tight hold of both his weapons, thus removing one blade from Ichigo's stomach – _albeit quite painfully_ – and the sword that intended to pierce Ichigo's heart. He rolled back to his feet and turned back to the boy, but at he did Ichigo was on his side with his blade in the air...

A wave of blue energy enveloped his blade...

The Princes' eyes widened at the display of power...

"**Getsuga**… **Tensho**!" Cried Ichigo as loud as he could.

The blue crescent sped towards the Prince and, as he raised his swords to block the attack, he was pushed back by the surreal force of the attack. He struggled to keep it at bay, and then as one of his weapons began to crack under the strain.

He knew he _couldn't_ block it.

He discarded that weapon and raised his hand to the wave and with his unimaginable power he was able to dispel the attack. Its energy shattering and dispersing in a violent and climatic way, leaving a slightly batter Prince in its wake.

Ichigo was on his feet again and looked at the man ahead of him. He wasn't as badly wounded as he hoped, but without that second blade in his hand, it would be easier to fight him when he had only one weapon. Ichigo held Zangetsu in both hands and readied himself. He may be wounded but he wasn't going to let that stop him from fighting as hard as he could!

Tortheldrin charged forward and brandished his dual-bladed sword in one hand.

The Prince swiped his blade forward but Ichigo blocked the strike and it slid along his blade with little problem. The Prince continued his rotation and brought us his leg and tried to strike Ichigo with a reverse side kick to the stomach.

Ichigo was able to bat it aside with his arm.

The Prince then reversed his twist and swung his blade at Ichigo again.

He was able to deflect it like the first.

Then the Prince tried to stab him through, but a timely sidestep saved him from a second hole through his stomach.

Ichigo swung at the Prince and as he did the Elf grabbed hold of his arm and then was able to flip Ichigo forward and into his back. A pained groan escaped Ichigo's lips before he raised Zangetsu to block a downward strike from the Prince. The blade struck the flat side of Zangetsu before it was tossed aside and then Ichigo retaliated by sending a kick towards Tortheldrin's face.

It connected and the Prince stumbled backwards covering his injured head. Ichigo rolled onto his belly and then pushed himself back up. He looked at the angry Elven Prince who was cradling his nose and glaring holes in Ichigo's head.

The Prince charged forward and swung down with his blade.

Ichigo blocked it with Zangetsu and then tossed the double sword off his own, before following up with his own slash at the Prince, who jumped away from the strike. Ichigo moved forward and brought his Zanpakutō on top of the Elf's blade. They both stared at one another with hate in their eyes, but for two different reasons.

One, because he condemned so many souls to torment.

The other because he has deprived him of a source of unimaginable energy and power.

Tortheldrin threw Ichigo away and trusted his sword at him, but Ichigo deflected the attack and countered. Ichigo swung his blade upwards at the Prince who twisted out of the way and swiped his blade at the Substitute.

Ichigo blocked the attack easily.

The Prince in his frustration lashed out with his leg and connected with Ichigo's stomach, sending him off his feet and with blood spraying from his wound and mouth. Ichigo landed on his feet but his legs were shaking to keep him from falling. Tortheldrin attacked, swinging his blade from over his chest at the Substitute, but Ichigo swung Zangetsu up and was able to deflect the attack over him and away, leaving the Prince open to his counter.

A quick upward swing and a gash appear over the Prince's armor, but more than just metal had been torn. Blood seeped out of the new opening within the armor as the Elven Prince stumbled away. His hand reaching up to touch the wound beneath his armor. Shock passed over his features as he saw the blood on his fingertips.

He had no idea how he was able to wound him...

He _himself_ was wounded and _barely_ looked like he could _stand_.

_Why_ didn't he just _die_?

Ichigo charged forward, ignoring the pain of his wounds and the exhaustion let upon himself from the use of his Zanpakutō's special ability. He _couldn't_ lose to this guy! He needed to beat him! If this continued _more_ people will suffer and those souls will know no rest.

Their blades clashed against one another, both staring intently at one another. They knew that this was only going to end with one outcome: one would fall and the other would stand over his corpse in victory, and they would fight to be that man.

* * *

Turok dragged himself across the stone floor, his body had been punctured by many arrows and he could feel is entire body quake in pain as he made the most subtle of movements. His armor had saved him, but only so much. He was severely injured, certainly _dead_ if he didn't get any help.

Nearly ten arrows had been lodged in his back, three in his left leg, one in his right and four in either of his arms... And _that_ was only a _few_ considering _how_ many landed around him.

As he moved he could hear the sounds of battle in the distance. Both of Uruk fighting against that bear and what could be described as the others fighting another opponent.

Likely Prince Tortheldrin...

He hoped they were up to the task.

But another sound reached his ears. His keen senses picking up feint footsteps as someone approached from behind. He knew who it was before he turned to look. The Elf he had been fighting against was moving in to kill her prey.

He looked back on his path and saw his gun resting a few feet in front of him; he picked up his pace and tried to reach his weapon so that he could defend himself. No matter how pointless it may seem he had to try!

As he did the sound of his approaching doom grew louder.

He was only a few feet from his weapon, as was his killer; he reached out for his weapon. His hand landed on the handle of the gun but as it did a boot descended down onto it. Looking up saw the Elf looking down at him with no emotion on her face.

She wore the same blank expression as she drew a bow from her quiver and pulled it back to finish him off.

* * *

Uruk was having a _little_ trouble taking down the bear. It really _didn't want to go down_! No matter _how_ much he hacked into it the thing _didn't_ stop coming at him ready to rip him apart!

He even _cut off one of its paws_ and it was _using the stump as a new foot_!

He _liked_ it when an enemy didn't stop, but he had a _dislike_ to the undead, because they had no drive other than to kill and _didn't_ have _any_ skill what-so-ever when it came to fighting another opponent. They just went in without any finesse. Which made killing them easy sometimes, but _this_ bear was large enough for him to find some difficulty in putting it down. But its lazy attacks were easy to dodge and get away from; all he wanted was something that could be a _little_ smarter.

He raised his axe and brought it down on the back of the creature's neck, his axe digging through the rotted pelt and meat before snapping through its spine. Even if it _was_ undead, without a _brain_ or a _head_ it _couldn't_ function. The Axe hadn't cut all the way through, he was forced to perform another decapitating swing to finally remove its head, and with that done its body fell to the floor lifeless.

He looked up to the Shaman who was still trying to get that arrow out of her leg. Damn thing must have been hooked to keep it in there.

He then turned to the Hunter that was dealing with the archer. To his shock the damn Tauren was on the ground with about a dozen arrows lodged all over his body and the Elf was now standing over him ready to deliver the final blow. Uruk snarled before lifted his axe overhead with both hands and then throwing it at the Elf.

It sailed through the air at the Elf, but as it whistled through the air the Elf turned expectantly. Her expression still blank and with unnatural speed she dodged the attack. As she twisted around the strike she raised her bow and aimed at the Orc. She let the arrow loose and struck the beast in the right side of its chest.

Uruk stumbled back before ripping the arrow from his chest and stalking towards the Elf. She drew another arrow and readied to fire once more, this time through the Orc's skull.

But as she took aim a large blade protruded through her stomach. She didn't scream or allow her expression to change. She looked down at the blade and then over her shoulder to see the Tauren with his gun in hands.

He had used the bayonet to stab her.

Before she could pull herself off the blade she was lifted off the ground and then thrown up and over the Tauren. She flew through the air and across the room. She landed with a thud before rolling to a stop.

She lifted herself up and was unperturbed by the wound, which was a large puncture that moved through her stomach and out her back. She grasped her bow and drew three arrows.

Turok took aim and fired at her, the bullet forcing her leap away lest she be wounded further. Turok took this into account before firing again this time at the roof, he shot at a support running along the roof and keeping it up, when the support shattered the roof collapsed.

As the Elf landed she looked up to see the roof falling down at her. Unable to move in time she was crushed under several tones of stone.

Turok slowly got to his feet and hobbled over to the pile. He slowly reloaded his gun and prepared to finish off the Elf. As he moved closer he saw the rubble slowly fall away.

A bloodied hand shot out of the stone and dirt, pulling the rest of the body out of the prison of rock. The Elf had survived, but was in horrible shape.

Her armor had been dented and broken in many place, her flesh was marred with many cuts and gashes. Her right arm was missing up to the elbow and both her legs had been broken in several places. Her face had a large gash over her eyes and forehead; blood seeped out it slowly despite the severity of the wound.

She pulled herself free and dragged herself forward, going towards her bow, even though she couldn't fight with it anymore, she still wanted to fight. _No_, she still _had_ to fight! _Even_ in her current _condition_ she _had no choice_ but to _fight_.

Turok almost pitied the poor creature before him.

He wobbled up to her and with his hoof on her bow he looked down at her. She stopped and looked up at him, no expression on her face, for a moment nothing passed between them.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position on her broken legs. She looked up at the Tauren and waited. She _knew_ that there was little choice of fighting back and that all she could do now was die. Turok drew back his gun and aimed it at her chest. With a quick thrust he stabbed her through her non beating heart, and in that moment there was a single expression that graced her features.

Shock.

And from that came a weak smile.

She looked up at the Tauren, and as her eyes slowly faded she thanked him.

"Thank you." She murmured, her words sincere as she thanked the man that ended her torment.

Turok watched as she slid of his blade, the final spark of unlife leaving her eyes before hitting the ground. He let out a breath as he put the woman to rest, but still the pain he felt when he took in that breath didn't stop him from feeling content that he did a good thing.

He turned back to the Orc and Shaman who still was working on the arrow. She had resorted to using a nearby knife to actual cut into her leg and get it out!

Turok simply walked over to her and waited. He could feel his vision blur and his head spin. He needed to get help soon or he would pass out... And _then_ bleed out...

He turned to Uruk, the only one who could move freely.

"Uruk, find Adelina and the others… bring her here and help them if they need it." Said the Tauren Hunter.

Uruk nodded before charging off, moving for the sound of battle in the distance.

Turok fell to his knees and then collapsed to the ground in a heap. His will to keep standing gone and his urge to sleep starting to overshadow his need to stay awake. He slowly closed his eyes, the last thing he saw and heard was Shikil'hi screaming as she removed the arrow from her leg.

* * *

Uruk charged through the hall looking for the damn group that was likely fighting against that Highborne Prince they were looking for. He could hear them off in the distance, the clashing of steel rung through the air as much as the smell of blood that had definitely been shed.

He slid around the corner and came to a shocking sight.

Against the wall was Raizzariza, wounded and barely conscious with that Night Elf girl healing him. But the most surprising sight was only a few meters past them.

Ichigo was fighting against Tortheldrin, and from how things looked, either one of them could win. Both had many wounds on their bodies, Ichigo substantially more, but he was handling it better than one would think a human could.

While the Prince was littered with many cuts and his armor was falling apart, his chest piece barely covered his stomach. The top half had nearly been completely cut away, leaving only a small plate of metal over his left breast.

With _every_ swing there was a counter, with _every_ strike there was a follow-up, with _every_ hit there was a retaliation... It was a battle of skill in this fight, and from what Uruk could see it could go either way.

"Girl!" Said Uruk, tearing his eyes away from the fight with Ichigo and to the young Night Elf. She looked over surprised at the Orc. "We need you to help with Turok, he is injured."

"But Raizza is still hurt." She said to him in a timid voice.

She never could speak with him. She couldn't even _look_ him in the eyes... He was just _too_ intimidating.

"He'll be fine, go to Turok." Ordered the Orc.

Adelina pushed a small wave of healing energy into Raizza before she got to her feet. She then gave one last long look at Ichigo.

She took in his many wounds and saw that more blood was over his skin that should be.

Uruk descended upon her against and told her to go. She did. Running to Turok, not out of worry for him, but for Ichigo. With how wounded he was she would need to get back here quickly. She offered a prayer to Elune to ask that he would be alright.

Uruk watched the young girl run off to help the Tauren. He then turned to Raizzariza, who was aglow with green healing energy.

He was still trying to remain awake, his eyes kept shutting and dropped low, but Uruk turned away from the assassin for hire and to the boy and Elf.

They had obviously been at it for just as long as they had been at the Elf Archer and that bear. But this guy was in another league all together, and the way the boy was fighting through those wounds of his was admirable. A stab wound was something few people could walk through, undead non-withstanding, let alone fight through. He was going at the Elf like he did any other enemy he fought against, with determination and the resolve to win no matter the odds.

* * *

Ichigo swung Zangetsu at the Elf in a wide swing.

The Elf deflected the blow but was unable to counter.

Ichigo unleashed Zangetsu again with another wide swing from the opposite direction.

This time Tortheldrin had some difficulty blocking the strike.

Another swing was sent to the Prince, who had to grip his wrist to hold his blade firm against the devastating vertical slash sent to cut him from ground to shoulder.

When the attack finished Tortheldrin stumbled backwards, thus having less time to block the next strike. A two-handed downward slash against the Princes double-blade knocked him to his knees, the force of the strike made the ground beneath Tortheldrin crack and buckle. Had it been a lesser man his arms would have been shattered like the floor.

The Prince roared as he pushed himself back onto his feet. Ichigo pressed down even harder, but when the double-blade flared with purple flames Ichigo's pressure on his blade slipped allowing him to push Ichigo back and then counter. Ichigo was able to dodge the attack, but the flames left a slight burn on his stomach.

Looking over he could feel the Prince's power increase. He was drawing on _all_ his power now.

He wanted to _finish_ this and do it _quickly_.

One request Ichigo was willing to grant him.

Ichigo flared his Reiatsu, a tornado of blue energy formed around him. He pulled back Zangetsu and allowed his Reiatsu to pour into his blade. He was going to finish this with a single attack.

The Prince did the same, around him a veil of malicious energy formed, and his blade burnt with purple flames.

The two stared at one another for a moment and gauged one another, their powers illuminating the entire room with hues of blue and purple. The next strike _will_ be the final one. After this one _will_ be at the others mercy.

Ichigo charged forward, Zangetsu held back with both hands. His charge was like a mighty wave, all around him the library shook and the ground beneath him crumbled.

The Prince did the same, charging forward, blade held back and ready to deliver it.

The room shook from the powers they released from the confines of their improper physical form, fit more for beings of greater heights then them.

Ichigo readied his blade as did the Prince to deliver the final winning strike.

Ichigo swung his blade towards the Prince in an upward arc, ready to cleave him in twain and cast his body to oblivion.

The Prince stabbed his sword down, the flames ready to devour the boy from within with one strike.

As they met in the middle of the room an explosion of light and force resounded through the entire library, the ground and walls shook and the roof threatened to collapse on them all.

* * *

Adelina, Turok and Shikil'hi could only watch as the entire room reverberated with a resounding crash. The sound of the walls crumbling and the sound of metal clashing metal could be heard. It felt as if the entire world was falling apart around them.

And as fast as it appeared it disappeared and the tranquillity of the library returned, only the occasional falling book and piece of stone sounded through the ancient Athenaeum.

Turok lifted himself to his feet, many arrows still lodged in his back and his wounds not all fully healed. He _knew_ what had caused the explosion, and he needed to be there to see what the cause was, be it Ichigo or that Prince. Under either of his arms and helping him as best as they could, the Shaman and Druid healed and carried him to the sight of the battle.

* * *

Ichigo and Tortheldrin stood near one another, neither moved nor breathed...

The climax of the attack still rung in their ears...

The victor had been decided and now one would die.

Ichigo had swung his sword up at the Prince and sliced him from hip to shoulder. A large open gash appeared over his chest, the internal organs below had been rent asunder.

Yet the Prince continued to stand on, defiant to die. His double-blade sword has met its mark just as Zangetsu made its mark on him, it had pierce the boys flesh and burnt his skin, but only on his left shoulder. Though the clear winner had been decided, the victor would likely not live to savour his victory.

As if the pin had dropped and the wheels of time had returned, both warriors lost their strength and fell away from one another. No longer able to stand or hold fast with their wounds and exhaustion they fell to their backs, either dead or dying.

Ichigo landed with a heavy thud to the ground, the blade had been wrenched from his shoulder by its wielder, his grip on his weapon never going nimble even in death, and he didn't feel anything when he hit the ground. In fact, he felt almost comfortable how the cold stone ground felt on his skin that wasn't cut open. He simply looked at the roof, unable to turn his head or even lift it to see what was happening around him.

He was content with the outcome of the battle.

He had beaten the bastard!

He had given the souls their vengeance against the man who caused so much pain and suffering!

At least now they could have some rest knowing that the one who caused their torment was dead.

Slowly his eyelids began to close, the last thing he heard was footsteps and the sight of a large shadow over him, and the final words of an unknown warrior.

"You more of a warrior than I thought, for a _human_ of course." The shadow leaned forward and lifted him off the ground and carried him away, but before he could know where his vision and mind went dark.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the story and hope you vote to decide on if Ichigo should get another weapon, also maybe you could jot down if he should have a romance with a certain somebody.**


	8. Chapter 07: We Smash You!

**Hello Everybody, wow it's been a while since I updated this story, sorry about that, just been planning out the story some more. As many of your know there is a Poll on my profile page that asks if you want Ichigo to get a new weapon, well, I have received many votes and I am to tell you that the poll will be closing down on the 12/05/2013, so get your last votes in if you haven't already.**

**Also I would like to thank Zaralann for Beta-reading my stories once again, he is a great help to this and I would like to thank you for helping me with the story.**

**Now the reviews are at the bottom of the page, sorry for doing that but there are so many.**

**Okay that's enough of that, now on with the story.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 07: We Smash You!**

Adelina looked down at the unconscious Ichigo. He had been out for fifteen minutes now. Around him where four totems: two glowed a dull green and the other two a bright blue. They were likely the only thing keeping him stable.

The wounds and blood loss he suffered was actually quite severe, and the final attack would have been his end if it had the blade struck but a few inches closer to the centre of his chest. And the burn on his shoulder would never be fully healed, they could be masked and mended but would remain for the rest of his days as a grisly reminder of his close brush with death.

Adelina knelled beside him and kept watch, giving her own healing touch to lessen the pain he must be in. She looked up to see Shikil'hi and Uruk were still surgically removing the arrows from Turok's back and patching him up.

She was shocked by the sheer resilience of the Tauren! She didn't know someone could survive so many arrows through the back! She saw Raizza going through the library picking up anything he could find, mainly weapons, amulets and armor that he could carry. It was likely he was also hired to collect certain pieces of armor from around the city that could be sold for a few gold coins.

But she didn't focus on her other companions, but on Ichigo, she could see from his pale skin he was severely injured.

She knew that it would be a while before he wakes up, but she didn't care! She would stay by his side and make sure that he survives this, but she couldn't help but feel a doubt creep into her heart. Was it right to come here? She had seen him fight and kill, she had no qualms about that, but that power of his... It was so oppressing and dark, she felt the air in her lungs hitch and a primal fear grip her tightly, telling her to run and never look back.

Could she really trust Ichigo?

Could she honestly say he was human?

* * *

Ichigo soon felt his world coming back to him.

His senses were filled with all kinds of sensations. He could feel a strange tingling over his skin, he felt his muscles ache as the pain and effort he performed to defeat that corrupted Prince. His throat was dry and his head felt light, but that didn't stop him from overhearing the others around him. He could hear Shikil'hi speaking with someone...

Something about keeping still and letting her work, whatever that meant.

He opened his eyes slowly and was assaulted by the bright lights of the oil lamps around the library. He tried to raise his hand but stopped when he felt a sharp pain pass over his shoulder and then down his arm. Using his other arm he was able to raise himself up and sit. He could feel his entire body creak as his bones cracked back into place and his joints loosened.

He looked around and saw Uruk and Shikil'hi helping Turok.

He had several arrows lodged in his back, and beside him were many more that looked to be recently removed, fresh blood still on the arrow heads. To think someone could survive against so many bolts appeared impossible, yet Turok was grunting through the surgery the Orc and the Troll were performing.

He looked to his left and saw Adelina staring at him. She had a happy smile on her face, although he could tell there was something troubling her, the way she adverted her eyes and the distant look in them showed she was thinking about something.

Something about Ichigo.

"You're awake..." Stated Turok; his deep grumbling voice bringing Ichigo's eyes away from the elf and towards the Tauren.

And bringing all who were not aware into the fold. Uruk glanced at the boy before going back to removing the bolt, while Shikil'hi did the same but her eyes were like a hawks, sizing him up for what might be her intent to kill him.

Ichigo sat up straighter and used his right arm to keep himself upright. He felt Adelina put her hand on his back to keep him stable and then bring a flask of water up in front of him. She motioned him to drink and he did, taking several mouthfuls of water before breathing a sigh of relief. He looked down at his stomach to see the stab wound had healed over and was now the scar, which was starting to heal fully, along with every wound he had sustained during his fight against Tortheldrin. And he also felt his exhaustion slowly disappear as the totems poured Mana into his exhausted body.

"Yeah, did I win?" Asked Ichigo, wondering if he had actually killed that Prince, after all sometimes they don't go down with one swing.

Tauren nodded before looking over to the lifeless body of Tortheldrin, a large wound stretched across his torso, from left hip to right shoulder. It would have been almost instantaneous.

"I am surprised you were able to defeat him." Said Turok, and the accusing tone was heard again. But his voice was laced with actual astonishment that made it subtle enough for the inexperience not to pick it up. "He was a powerful warrior and a Mage from what I can tell... How did you defeat him?"

Ichigo could see what he was trying to do; he wanted to gauge his response and then build on that, either to catch him in a lie that contradicts what he has said earlier or learn something from him that he could use against Ichigo later.

"I used my ability to disarm him. With one blade he was much easier to fight against. In the end it came down to one strike, and I won." Said Ichigo, not bothering to look at the Tauren as he spoke.

His voice showing that he didn't wish to speak any more about it, the Tauren narrowed his eyes at the boy.

He was being too vague about the ordeal.

"That's it?" Asked Turok.

"Yes." Was his only response before Ichigo lifted himself to his feet and stretched slightly. He looked around and saw Rai cleaning house so to speak, he was pocketing anything around him to make a quick buck later one. "So where do we go from here?"

Turok gazed at the boy a moment before he replied. He was obviously still distrusting of the boy, his power was a very big unknown. And the fact he was able to take down a man who had been feeding off a powerful Demon for the last ten millennia only further emphasized the fact that the boy was a potential danger.

"There is a tunnel that leads further into the ruins, we will follow it once my wounds have been sealed and Rai is done pillaging." Said Turok, just as that was said a pop was heard as another arrow was removed from his back, and a yell from an obviously offended troll.

"I resent that! I prefer the term 'Salvaging'!" Said Rai, halting in his 'Salvaging' to make a rude gesture at the tauren, which involved him putting his hand under his chin and flicking it at the Tauren.

Before he went back to his work, picking up a small crescent bladed axe with a black leather handle, and opening his leather satchel and placing it within. Ichigo brushed it off and looked around to find Zangetsu leaning against the wall. He retrieved his weapon and then sheathed it on his back, the cloth coiling around the blade as a makeshift sheath. He then found a chair, dragged it to the totems and sat down and waited.

Ten minutes later and the last arrow had been removed and Turok's wounds had been sealed. He rose to his full height and stretched before letting out a groan as his joints cracked. He then hefted up his gun and moved off to the far side of the library.

Behind him everyone followed.

* * *

They came to a large solid metal door at the far end of the library, intricate designs were carved into the door and several scenes that he didn't fully understand were shown, mainly many people around what appeared to be a large fountain or well.

There was a single keyhole on the door, dead centre of the double door over a single circular plate. Rai handed Turok a key and placed it within the lock. When he turned to key the mechanisms within the door began to creek and grind, dozens of supposed gears churned away within the doors before a click was heard and the metal plate split in two.

Placing both hands on either door, Turok pushed the massive metal exit open and revealed a tunnel leading likely somewhere else in the city. And by any luck, right towards the Demon they had been searching for.

Turok took the lead, Rai, Uruk and Shikil'hi behind him, Ichigo followed and at his side was Adelina. For the entire trip through the tunnel not a word was said between the six of them. Either it was because they didn't have anything to say or because they were deep in their own thoughts, was not known.

For ten minutes they walked, the silent dark tunnel leading them in a singular direction to god knows where.

But as they moved further along they began to hear things. At first it was echoing, as if coming from a very far distance. At first they thought it was ghost or spirits that were occupying the tunnel, but as they drew closer to the tunnels exit, the sound grew louder.

It was shouting.

Battle cries.

There was a fight.

The clashing of steal could be heard...

Ogres.

They were most likely moving into the northern most part of the city, it was thick with Gordunni Ogres, which meant they were right in the heart of Ogre territory now.

But the sound of battle confused them. Ogres won't fight one another. Well, not often anyway and not what sounded like in large numbers. So that means that they were fighting against something else. It wasn't the Highborne; they were likely all dead, so that left on one group that still occupied this city...

Demons.

Turok picked up his pace as did everyone else behind him. As they reached the end of the tunnel they came to a stop.

The tunnel had led to low hanging balcony just over a large square courtyard of stone and grass; the stairs have long been destroyed and rendered unusable. Below they could see dozens of Ogres and Demons fighting against one another. Many corpses littered the ground and blood filled the soil and the air. Although many had perished the fight was still going fierce. It looked as if either side could win. This was a simple battle of attrition now, the Demons wouldn't stop trying to take over this city, and the Ogres were either too brave or too stupid to retreat and regroup... They simply rushed in and did what they did best.

Smash the enemy.

"There are a lot of them down there..." said Rai, drawing his sword-breaker and rapier.

"We move through them. Don't stop to fight, just move and let them kill each other; it's their leader we want." Said Turok, tightening his hold on his gun before moving forward to the edge of the balcony, casting one last glance back towards the rest. "Stay close, and don't get separated."

Turok leapt off the balcony and landed fifteen feet below. Behind him Uruk and Rai jumped down, Shikil'hi did the same and used the wind to glide herself down. Ichigo and Adelina were the last to go down, but Adelina was a little apprehensive about jumping down. Seeing this Ichigo did the only thing he thought he could do, he picked her up and leapt off with her in his arms.

She screamed as they leapt from the balcony and landed with a heavy thud, which ended her squeal of fear. She opened her eyes to see she was alright and being carried in Ichigo's arms. She blushed a bit before Ichigo let her down. She was quite rigid when she got on her feet and walked away almost mechanically from Ichigo.

"Keep up!" Shouted Turok, breaking Adelina out of her rut and Ichigo out of his confusion as to why she was walking as such.

They both turned to see the group was already on their way, weaving through the ogres and demons and moving towards the far edge of the courtyard.

Ichigo and Adelina ran after them, Ichigo had his hand on the still sheathed Zangetsu and Adelina had her hand wrapped around her new wooden staff. They weaved through the Demons, dodging and only attacking if they could keep moving. They could let these Demons and Ogres kill each other and when they wanted to leave they could kill whoever is left.

Ichigo ducked under a swing from a Fel Guard before pulling Zangetsu free from his back and retaliating. He slashed open the Demon's chest as he drew his blade.

Not bothering to stop and see if the Demon had died or not, Ichigo moved forward, making sure to keep Adelina in his sights, he watched as she ducked under a swing, albeit awkwardly and retaliate with a bolt of pure white energy.

She was doing well, sort of.

Adelina avoided the ogres and demons as best as she could and when she did get close she just jumps out of the way and kept running. Ichigo saw an Ogre ahead of him, a spear in hand ready to skewer him.

The Ogre trusted the weapon forward.

Leaping over the weapon Ichigo planted his foot in the Ogres face and using his weight and momentum knocked the fast blue skinned beast onto its back before jumping off and following after the rest of the group.

Ichigo looked on ahead and saw they were heading towards a large double columned entryway that led through the courtyard wall and to places unknown.

He couldn't see much inside, and with all the enemies around him he couldn't focus on one thing lest he'll be attacked by something else. Looking to his right he saw a Demon attacking him with some sort of halberd. Halting before the trust could pierce his side he reached for the weapon as it moved in front of him and grasped the shaft and then pulled Zangetsu free and cut off the Demon's head.

He twirled the spear in hand and reared it back before throwing it at a Demon ahead of him. The spear travelled for only a moment before it pierced the red skinned Demon's chest. As Ichigo moved on he punched another Demon in the face that had the unfortunate luck of turning towards him, its face plate denting and bending into the demons likely broken face.

Moving forward quickly Ichigo reached the entryway with Adelina hot on his heels. He turned and drew Zangetsu, three Demons were behind him. He stood his ground and waited for them to come.

The first lunged at him with a massive black axe. Ichigo sidestepped the attack and drew back Zangetsu and swung it at the guard's neck. It didn't have time to react before its head was cleaved off its shoulders.

Looking up he saw the other two charging in, one with a sword and the other with a halberd. Ichigo deflected the thrust of the spear to his left hand side before swinging Zangetsu up and to his right to block the guard's overhead swing. He threw the enemies blade off his own and was able to wound him with a follow up attack, slashing into the Demon's unprotected stomach forcing it to stumble away clutching it midriff.

Ichigo turned back to the other guard and with Zangetsu he was able to parry and deflect the blow once more, and moved within the Demon's guard, he pulled back his fist and punched the Demon dead centre in the face. It buckled and fell to one knee clutched its broken nose, but there was little respite for the young Shinigami.

He turned to the sword wielder and saw him preparing to attack the soul reaper's unprotected back. Ichigo turned and brought up Zangetsu, halting the enemy's blade. Knocking the blade away and followed up with another slash, this time along the demon's chest, which crew darker as the demons black blood flowed freely over it. The Demon stumbled away again but recovered quickly enough to attack once more, swinging its blade wide trying to cleave Ichigo in half. Ichigo grabbed hold of the Demon's extended arm and held it and the sword at bay while he stabbed Zangetsu forward, impaling the Demon on his blade. Blood shot from the Demon's back and mouth before it went limp on the clever-like Zanpokuto.

Ichigo pulled Zangetsu free from the demons corpse and swung Zangetsu overhead and turned on his feet, delivering a similar end to the Demon that was still cradling its broken nose. It raised its halberd to halt the blow but its weapon was cut in twain from the boy's superior sword. The Demon had its torso severed in two pieces, both falling in opposite directions of one another, leavings what's left of its internal organs to fall to the ground wither in one or many pieces.

Ichigo looked down at the body and cringed as the Demon's inner organs and fluids spilled out onto the floor. The concept of killing still hard for him to do, even if it is beasts such as these, he wondered if he should even be doing this.

Ichigo was drawn from his thoughts when he saw something out of his peripheral vision. Turning he saw a guard with a sword in hand ready to attack.

Ichigo raised Zangetsu to block the strike, but before the Demon's sword could collide with his own, the Demon was blown back. A spray of blood erupting from its chest as much of its torso was blown open by a very powerful bullet. Turning Ichigo saw Turok at the far end of the hall, his gun pointing towards Ichigo's general direction, the barrel smoking from the recent shot that had been taken. He aimed it again and fired, taking down another Demon that was approaching the young Substitute from behind.

"Keep moving!" He shouted, before turning and rushing down the hall, leaving Ichigo to follow.

Only Adelina waited for him to catch-up, standing at the far end and waiting for him at the corner. Ichigo rushed to catch up with the rest of the group. When he turned the corner Adelina was running beside him.

* * *

As the group moved further down the long halls they saw the bodies of many Ogres and Demons, blood caked the walls and floor, bodies were viciously dismembered and weapons were either in the wielders hand or in the enemy's chests or backs.

But it was the ogre's bodies that were most viciously mauled. Ichigo could see that whatever came through here really did some damage, chests were ripped open, organs were on the floor and some looked like that something had taken a bite out of them. Maybe the Dreadlord was close? He could end this before he could do any more damage? And maybe make up for this mess.

Soon they arrived in a large room, similar to the library, a square room with a high roof and two adjacent hallways that led further into this complex of tunnels and a stair case that started on one wall and running up along it and the adjacent walls before finishing on the opposite wall it started from. And there was nothing else within aside from that, just some pillar in the middle of the room to keep the roof above their heads from falling, and the bodies dead, a lot of dead. Turok halted as he stood in the middle of the room. He raised his arm to halt everyone else, but they knew that something else was going on and they all drew their weapons.

The Tauren's ears perked up and listened to the sound that echoed around the room. He sniffed the air and searched with his eyes for an enemy that had yet to reveal himself. Everyone moved close together and waited for the attack to come.

Turok heard something from above, the sound of small stones rolling across the floor. He looked up and saw a silhouette on a large stairwell, and around it were many more.

As he noticed them they leapt from the stairs and fell towards the group.

"Above us!" Shouted the hunter, raising his gun and firing at one of the falling shadows.

The body collided with the ground with a sickening thud, raising his gun once more he impaled another with his bayonet; he looked at his kill and saw it was a red furred and grey skinned demons with horns, hooves and furry tails.

_Satyr._

Foul Demon that was once Night Elves, but dark magic and demonic influence has changed all that and now they were but shades of their former selves.

Turok threw the Demon off his gun and turned it onto another. He shot another dead as it landed in front of him, before the Hunter had to use his gun to block a sword of another Satyr. He glanced around and saw many of them were still coming down from the stairs and the adjacent hallways...

This would be a difficult fight.

* * *

Ichigo sidestepped a strike from one Satyr as it landed; its attempt to flatten him beneath its hooves had failed. It tried to lash out with its claws but again Ichigo dodged the attempt on his life. Ichigo swung Zangetsu at the Demon's arm and cut it off just above the elbow, before swinging again and splitting it in half, from shoulder to just below where its arm was once connected to the rest of its body.

Ichigo then raised Zangetsu to block a claymore that would have cleaved him in a similar manner. He slid the blade against his own and over his head, with the blade off his own he struck out at the Night-Elf-turn-Demon who wielded it. The creature leapt away from him and with a flip landed a few feet away. Obviously these ones were more skilled than those Fel Guards, as the same Satyr evaded Ichigo's attacks two more times before charging in to attack the Substitute.

Ichigo leaned away as the sword moved to cut off his head; it passed mere inches from his throat. As he slashed at his attack to force him away he was attacked by two others. The first carried a small morning-star hammer and the other carried two mean looking sabres in either of its clawed hands.

The first to attack was the Demon with the morning-star. Ducking under the swing and sidestepping, Ichigo delivered a back handed strike to the side of the Satyr's face. Dazing the satyr long enough for him to defend himself from the other two Demon's attacks.

Raising Zangetsu Ichigo blocked both the sabres and threw the Satyr off and away from him and slashed at the demon, only just being able to cut a small gash in its chest. Turning to the dazed Satyr Ichigo planned to cut him from shoulder to groin while he was still nursing his sore cheek. But when the Satyr grabbed Ichigo's arm he was trapped in the Demon's powerful grip. The satyr then swung its weapon at Ichigo ready to bludgeon the young Shinigami to death. Ichigo mimicked the Satyr's tactic and grabbed its wrist halting its attack and saving himself from having his head bludgeoned.

Ichigo struggled to keep the Satyr arm in his grip and try to pry his arm free from its own. He also noticed that the Demon with the two sabres was approaching from behind. Panicking slightly Ichigo did the only thing he knew could - do something reckless and hope it paid off.

He pulled his bead back and then head-butted the Satyr straight in the forehead.

It had two results...

The first was Ichigo feeling like he head-butted a ram and the second the Demon reeled back stunned, both physically from hitting an oddly hard skull and mentally that he actually did something like that. Ichigo grabbed hold of a scruff of its fur on the satyr's chest and then leaned back, pulling the Demon with him. Before he planted both feet on its abdomen and then vaulted it over and into the Satyr with the sabres, knocking both to the ground.

Ichigo leapt to his feet and quickly defended himself from another assault from the Satyr with the large claymore. The Demon instead of allowing the human to remove its blade from his own pulled his claymore off Zangetsu and then pulled it back further before stabbing it forward and towards the substitute's heart.

Ichigo was able to twist Zangetsu in his hand and knocked the blade away saving himself from being impaled. With Zangetsu now over his chest he swung at the Satyr once more, trying to cut off its head. But the Demon leaned away and avoided the strike. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu in both hands and looked around him. To his right were the two Satyrs he had dispatched, but were now back on their feet and ready for more, and the claymore wielding Demon was ready to attack again. Ichigo gritted his teeth as they charged at him at the same time. He readied himself as best he could, even with all his skill he didn't think for one second that he would be able to stop three attacks at once. He just hoped that the ones that did get through wouldn't be fatal.

* * *

Adelina and Shikil'hi were fighting back to back with one another.

While Adelina didn't have many offensive spells in her arsenal she did her best to keep the Satyrs at bay, sending out bolts of Moonfire and trapping them in roots. But it was Shikil'hi who was doing most of the killing between the two of them. She would set enemies alight, smash in skulls with her mace and tear flesh from bones with elemental winds. Now she had a Satyr throat in her hands and another she was cutting apart with a gust of razor wind.

She choked the life out of the Satyr, watching as its eyes rolled up into the back of its head and expired, and then tossed it aside before smashing the swords away that were aimed to pierce her side, before she delivered a devastating uppercut to its wielder. The Satyr flew through the air before impacting the ground hard, its neck broken and head hanging at an odd angle.

Shikil'hi then sent a gust of wind at an approaching group of Satyrs. The four of them were knocked away and into the far wall, either dead or unconscious, but more were coming, many more. She ducked to the side to avoid a spear from above; she saw several of them above throwing down an assortment of weapons, spears, axes, knives, anything that was sharp and could be thrown. Before she could respond in kind an explosion engulf the small balcony, throwing their now burning corpses from the terrace and onto the ground far below. She looked over to see Turok had fired the shot, in his hand was a spear, which was being put to use by impaling and then vaulting the satyrs away.

* * *

Turok turned and swung the spear at a Satyr, cutting into its chest and forcing it back. He then raised it high swung it down at another, the spear cut through its shoulder and torso with ease. He pulled it free from the now split chest before trusting forward into another demon's chest. Lifting the Satyr off the ground he threw it at another just to his right, sending both to the ground in a heap.

The Tauren raised his gun and fired two shots at two more demon-spawn; their bodies erupted in an explosion of crimson mist. He looked to his right and saw another coming at him, this time with an axe. He moved his gun to intercept the attack, the metal on the top of the gun grinded against that of the axe's edge, and as the weapons were in a deadlock Turok impaled the Satyr before he could get away. He then threw him aside and fired at another that followed after the last one; its head parted from its shoulder as nothing more than shredded meat and brain matter.

Another shot rang out through the room, but it wasn't from Turok's gun. He saw a Satyr lunged over his shoulder and slam into the ground in front of him, a neat hole in its forehead and a large opening at the back. He looked over to see Raizzariza had his pistol out and aiming at his general direction. Taking a moment to nod at the Troll's timely aid in killing an unseen attacker he got back to killing.

Using his gun as a club he knocked the incoming sword away and made the Satyr stumble. He then forced his spear through its back and out its chest, before he lifted the Demon up and tossed it over his shoulder like a piece of trash.

* * *

Rai ducked under a wide swing from a Satyr's claw. Holstering his pistol and drawing his rapier quickly he turned on his attacker.

Stabbing his rapier forward he buried it in the creature's chest and through its heart, quickly removing the sword he dodged an attack from his right. The Troll rolled away as a spear descended toward him. As he corrected himself he blocked a downward strike from a sword and then stabbed forward with his rapier to pierce another Satyr's heart. He rose and as he pulled his rapier free and he twisted on his toes and deflected an incoming blow from behind.

With his rapier pushing the crude sword aside Rai used his sword-breaker lopping off the Demon's head, he looked over his shoulder to see an axe coming his way. He leapt to the side, the axe missed him narrowly. As he turned toward the enemy he leapt in the air and then with his sword-breaker swung it wide and without looking was able to decapitate his would-be-executioner with little effort.

Another swung a sword at the Rouge's right, the sword coming right towards his neck. Rai reversed the grip on his rapier and blocked the attack, his side to the Demon and the tip pointing right at the satyr's neck. He stepped towards the Demon quickly and buried the end of the blade though its neck. As it gurgled on its own blood as it tried to scream, Rai pulled his blade back and turned to his next victim.

Swing his rapier above his head he deflected another attack and with another twirl he slit the Satyr's throat. He advanced on another, raising his sword-breaker he blocked the blow and then with a flick and twist threw the blade away and stabbed forward, his rapier cutting through flesh and its heart with ease. He turned in time to intercept an axe meant for his head, holding it at bay with his swordbreaker. As the Satyr slowly slid off his rapier he knocked the Demon's sword off his swordbreaker and then he slashed at its chest with his now free rapier. From left hip to right shoulder and then again from left shoulder to right hip, creating a bloody cross mark on its chest.

It fell on the ground ready to die from its wounds; Rai left it there to die slowly.

As the troll turned to kill another he watched as it was violently throw aside with the body of another Satyr. Looking quickly he saw Uruk carving his way through the Demons with ease, his axe rending metal and flesh like they were nothing.

He was taking the full brunt of the assault.

Many satyrs converged on him, desperately trying to bring down the Warsong warrior, but all around the massive orc in crimson were bodies, it was good he was here, he was taking most of their attention off the rest.

* * *

Uruk swung his axe wide, cutting three in half from the waist and then another swing cut another across the chest, letting most of its internal organs become external. He then struck out against another, his axe sinking into its chest and then forcing its body to hit the ground like a hammer against an anvil.

A Satyr snuck up from the orc's right and got him when it sunk a dagger in his leg, but Uruk barely took notice of it. He lashed out with his fist, knocking the Demon away and leaving the dagger firmly in the Orc's leg. He swung his axe overhead and down on top of another Demon. The axe split its head and most of its chest in twain. Uruk turned and grabbed a nearby Satyr by the horn and threw him at another. Ripping his axe free from the ground, the Orc charged into the fray, looking for anyone to challenge him.

In the distance near the far end of the room Uruk saw a single person, a woman to be exact. She was garbed in red robes and a staff that was shrouded in a dark energy. He could see from here that she was the one likely leading this group of beasts. She was flanked on either side by two Imps, so she was a Warlock.

He growled as he looked at her, he hated Warlocks!

Several Satyrs barred his path to her, but they would do little against him and his mighty Dark Iron Axe. He charged forward and into the fray once more. Carving his way through the Demons to reach his ultimate prize - a Blood Elf that was a Warlock!

He couldn't have wished for a better present to carve up!

* * *

Ichigo knocked the Morning-star Satyr off its hooves and onto the ground with a low round house kick, before turning towards another and knocking its spear away. He did another full rotation and lopped off its right arm. He ended its screams when he stepped forward and jammed Zangetsu through its chest. He pushed the Demon off and then moved onto another.

He had dispatched the dual-sabres Satyr and about six others that had attacked him since then, but the claymore wielding Demon was giving him some trouble, he was definitely more skilled then the rest of them!

Ichigo saw the Demon a short distance from him, his sword in one hand its tip resting against the floor. He was busy watching Ichigo fight through all the fodder.

Ichigo scowled at the Demon.

He hefted up Zangetsu and charged. But in his way were four other Demons. He needed to dispatch them before he could get anywhere near that one. The first had a long machete in hand; it pulled it back to strike, but sadly it was a little too slow. Ichigo shot forward and as it was still pulling back its blade to strike. He nearly cut the Demon in half from the waist down. He straightened up as he charged forward, into the attack of another Satyr.

Ichigo caught the blade on edge of his own and deflected it upwards along with Zangetsu. He then forced his blade down and cleaved the Demon in twain, from shoulder to hip its body fell apart. He turned to another and as it swung down its halberd at Ichigo, the Substitute charged into its guard and grabbed its wrist. He pulled the Demon forward and impaled it on his zanpokuto, before lifting him over him and threw the Demon aside. As the last one charged in, its claw ready to rend flesh as the steel that was used by its brethren, Ichigo cut into its chest with a simple swing, and disregarded it before moving towards the one with the Claymore.

A sneer graced the Demon's lips as he gazed down at the human that had killed many of its kin. Ichigo looked up at the Demon that had yet to meet its end by the edge of his blade. Ichigo maintained his gaze on the Demon, his attention on it more important than that of the wounded Satyr behind him rising to its feet.

With its first few shaky steps it moved towards the substitute, and then it's regained its balance a charged at Ichigo's exposed back, ready to carve into it with its claws. Ichigo didn't bother to look as he quickly dashed backwards and inside its guard, raised his fist and smashed it into the Demon's face, knocking it out cold and allowing it to bleed to death without him having to take his eyes off the demon ahead of him.

Said Demon with the claymore actually smirked when he dispatched his fellow brethren without have to look or use his sword.

"For a human you are quite powerful, maybe even worthy to fight me!" It proclaimed, brandishing the claymore in its hand and stepping towards the substitute. The satyr pointed his weapon at Ichigo, the tip of the blade a mere inch from his head. "Feel honoured, you'll die at the hands of Zavrim Thornhoof!"

The Demon flicked his blade up and stepped forward, and with a single hand he slashed down at the Substitute. As the sword closed in, the Substitute didn't even move or flinched, and in a blink of an eye Ichigo swung Zangetsu up. There was a single clash of steel before the sound of a blade hitting the ground was heard. Looking at the Satyr, you could see the surprise written across his face when he saw his claymore had been cut cleanly in half by the boys own blade, the now smooth end of the blade smoking slightly from the pressure in which it cut through the steel.

Ichigo had his permanent scowl in place as he held Zangetsu high in the air from the recent attack, and without another word he brought it down, cutting into the Demon's chest from the crown of its head to groin. Zavrim was motionless for a short while before he fell away, blood seeping out from the cut down the middle of its face and body, he was dead before he hit the ground.

Ichigo looked down at the corpse before moving on to fight another. He could see dozens more were in the room, but there were more corpses than there were living now. So all they had to do was keep it up and they would be out of here in no time.

As Ichigo moved to engage he was halted, he felt something tugging against his leg. Looking down he saw black roots around his ankle, the sharp sickly green thorns digging into his skin. Then more shoot up out of the ground and wrapped around his other leg. Startled Ichigo tried to hack away at the vines but when he raised Zangetsu more shot up and grabbed his arm and pulled it down. And more shot up around his torso and neck. He grunted and groaned as he tried to free himself but in the end he was brought to his knees.

Ichigo struggled against the bindings, he could feel them constricting around his limbs and neck, choking him and preventing his release. He looked up to see a Satyr different from the rest move in front of him. Instead of a red coat of fur and pale grey skin, this one had pale green skin and a similar fur but only slightly darker. He stood in front of Ichigo and looked down at him with an angry sneer.

He leaned forward and examined the boy.

"You are the one lord Hel'nurath spoke of, the boy that nearly killed him" Said the Satyr; he sniffed the air around Ichigo before slowly beginning to walk around him. "You smell strange, like the Dream, but darker; the taint of evil is on your soul. I can sense it; you are not what you appear to be."

"I'm just full of surprises!" Said Ichigo through clenched teeth, staring up at the Demon defiantly. The Demon didn't acknowledge the words and continued with his own monologue.

"If I was to find you, I was to bring you to him..." Said the green Satyr, his tone appeared bored and it matched his current expression and demeanor "As to why? I have no idea, but if he commands I am obliged to obey."

The Satyr moved his hand forward, reaching towards the soul reapers chest; it was aglow with unnatural energy.

Ichigo struggled all the more harder to escape. He tried to get Zangetsu free but his arms were held tightly by his side, he needed to get out! The hand descended on his chest right over his heart and he felt pain rush through him, he felt his Reiatsu being pulled from his body! He cried out as he felt it forcefully siphoned from him...

The Demon didn't stop...

Instead it increased its power in siphoning off the boy's power.

The Satyr had a dark smile on his lips, this was truly great power. If he took it all he could increase his own power tenfold, he could become unstoppable! And then his plans to corrupt the forests of Feralas could finally begin!

As he began to force more of the boy's power from him he sensed something. There was something preventing him from taking the power, another force present that was halting his efforts. He scowled deeply. Who could resist him and prevent him from taking from the boy? He went to try and siphon the boy's power once more when he notice it, the boy was drawing in and condensing his power, forming it into a condensed state. But why would he do this? What possible reason could he be trying to condense it? Was he trying to prevent him from taking it? No, this was something else, the boy was a head strong youth, he would go for the kill as soon as it presented itself and when trapped he would lash out with whatever he had.

Then he realized to late what he was doing...

Alzzin's eyes widened when the boy suddenly released the condensed power. A massive burst of spiritual energy erupted from the boy's body, shredding the vines and knocking the Satyr away.

Alzzin landed a few feet away and groaned. He looked up to see the staggering form of the Substitute. He was back on his feet and shaking slightly, obviously that attack of his did some damage to him as well.

Ichigo groaned as he stood up. He could feel his bones crack back into place; he never knew that trying to condense his Reiatsu so much would actually hurt! He had done it before and never felt anything so painful, it was simple but still that was very unpleasant. He looked over to the green Satyr to see him getting back onto its feet. Ichigo scowled and drew Zangetsu in front of him, this guy was a lot more powerful than the others, and would take some effort to take down.

The Satyr didn't appear that perturbed by his outburst of Reiatsu, but he didn't really care, he would still cut him down like did with all the others. Ichigo charged in with that single thought on his mind.

"You think you can defeat me?" Said Alzzin, leaping away from Ichigo's wide swing and sending a bolt of shadowy energy at him in retaliation.

Ichigo ducked under the Shadow Bolt and attacked once more, this time leaping forward and swinging Zangetsu down at the green satyr. Who raised his clawed hand and created a barrier of purple energy in front of him, halting Ichigo's attack, which surprised the substitute shinigami that the demon could create a barrier to block his soul cutter. With another gesture he forced the shield outwards and knocked Ichigo away. Ichigo flipped through the air and landed in a crouch.

The Demon looked at him for a moment before looking down at two fallen Satyrs, or more specifically, their weapons. He reached down and took hold of a large fiendish looking machete and a single handed flanged mace, in their former wielders hands they were no more useful to them as their own claws, but in his hands, they would be very deadly.

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu that little bit tighter; this just got a whole lot harder.

The Demon charged forward with blinding speed, raising both weapon up simultaneously to show that he could swing either one when he was within range. The maul was the first to be brought down, coming toward his right side to break Ichigo's sword arm. Ichigo raised Zangetsu and turned toward the attack to block it, using both hands to hold off the jarring blow. He did so and was surprised that the weapon didn't shatter or at least crack against his own weapon.

The pressure on his blade slacked, the only sign he got that the second attack was coming towards him. He looked to his left to see the machete moving to stab him through the side. Swinging Zangetsu down and across quickly he was able to deflect the strike and alight himself up to counter.

Twisting Zangetsu in his grip and towards the demon he swung with both hands on the hilt, ready to cut him in half, but was surprised when the Demon used to topmost part of his maul to halt Zangetsu. And with Ichigo's counter countered the demon attacked again.

Stabbing his machete over his hammer and Zangetsu, it moved towards Ichigo's vulnerable head. The Substitute leaned to the left and away from the strike. He stepped away from the Demon quickly to avoid any other attacks but was assailed once more regardless. The machete swung at his neck as the Demon followed after him. Ichigo leaned under the attack which put him in a position for another attack. This time the mace was swung in an upward arc right into the path of Ichigo's downcast head.

Ichigo leaned away from the attack and rolled aside, hoping to get some distance between him and the demon. As he straightened back up Ichigo was beset upon by the green satyr once more. A downward swing from the maul forced him to step to the right, the hammer missed sure enough but then he had to duck under its blade as it twisted with the strike and tried to decapitate him.

Another downward swing from the hammer forced Ichigo to block it, the hammer slammed against Zangetsu's flat blade and nearly forced the Substitute to his knees, but no sooner had the first attack been carried out that the second came at him. The sword shot forward to pierce his heart. Seeing the danger Ichigo improvised and twisted Zangetsu to block the strike while not having to waist precious time knocking the hammer away.

The machete struck the sword and was halted.

Ichigo was lucky; he had fought against Prince Tortheldrin, and he had to admit he was one of the best swordsmen he had ever fought against, and the fact that he used two weapons simultaneously and also could manipulate his grip on them with ease, forced Ichigo to adapt quickly in order to survive. That carried over to him when also fighting against many other foes. He had to be quick to counter any attempt they made and know exactly what they may be planning with their next move and react accordingly.

And with this guy, it was no different.

With a flick he sent all three weapons skyward. Ichigo twisted the edge of his zanpokuto towards the Demon and dropped it down on him. Alzzin was able to bring both weapons to block the strike, but the tables were starting to turn now. Ichigo pulled Zangetsu back and off his two weapons, the grinding of metal generating blinding sparks over Alzzin's eyes, nearly costing his life when the zanpokuto moved forward to pierce his foul heart.

The Satyr stepped back before swinging his mace to knock the blade to the Demons right, forcing Ichigo to turn with the blade, which it took complete advantage of. The Demon also twisted with his strike, turning and moving towards Ichigo he swung his sword at the back of the boys exposed neck, but Ichigo was faster than he anticipated, quickly he turned and grinded Zangetsu against the Demon's own sword.

The Demon's blade slid off the boy's but he continued his twist and swung his hammer overhead. Ichigo intercepted the mace, but before he could attack again or draw back his hammer, Ichigo twisted his blade from under it to above and pushed it into the ground. Before he raised his sandalled foot and slammed it into the shaft, knocking it out of the Demon's hand and disarming him. Ichigo pulled Zangetsu over his chest and swung it at the Demon, forcing him to leap away lest his head be removed from his shoulders.

Alzzin backpedaled away from Ichigo and stopped. He glanced at the weapons that were arrayed around him, there were none he could use against the boy that could withstand his blade, none were enchanted like the weapon that he had in his right hand. So his only choice now was to fight him with the only weapon he was sure would work against him, his magic.

His left hand was shrouded in a pale green glow while he twisted the machete in his right hand. Alzzin charged forward, this time certain he could defeat the boy and siphon off his body after he kills him. Ichigo readied Zangetsu but was caught off guard when the Demon shot his hand forward and Ichigo fell down on one knee. Looking to his right leg he saw that it had been ensnared up to his knee by black vines.

He cursed under his breath and before he could but it away he was forced to block a swipe from the demon.

Ichigo brought Zangetsu overhead and then used it to shield his left side, using his left arm as a support for Zangetsu. Ichigo slid the machete off his blade and over his head before swinging at the Demon, forcing him to leap back. Ichigo twisted Zangetsu in hand and sliced the vines away from his leg. He pulled himself back up and charged, not giving the Demon another chance to attack him. Ichigo swung Zangetsu down at the satyr, who in defense raised his forearm in an attempt to halt the attack.

And to Ichigo's surprise it did just that!

The blade stopped short of his arm and was held back by a shadowy field of energy. Ichigo pressed down harder to shatter the shield but when the Demon snapped his sword forward, Ichigo was forced to twist around the attack.

The Demon shot out the knocked Ichigo's blade away and Ichigo along with it. Ichigo stumbled back and was able to halt Zangetsu before it dragged him and further. But as he tried to move in again he felt a familiar tug on his arm, looking down he saw Zangetsu and his arm up to his elbow ensnared in vines. He looked back to see the Demon charging, its blade ready to lop off his head. And with nothing but his left arm to defend himself with, as the Demon drew close Ichigo struggled to free Zangetsu but knew he wouldn't be able to in time.

Looking back he saw the Demon mere inches from him and already swinging his blade, Ichigo out of desperation did the only thing he could...

He jumped up and planted his foot on the Demons extended arm, halting the blade and then kicked him square in the face.

Surprised by the human's attack Alzzin didn't have time to react to it and copped a sandalled foot to the face. Alzzin's head shot back and his body fell back towards the ground. Ichigo flipped backward and landed on the opposite side of the vines. He grabbed hold of them and ripped them off his arm, ignoring the thorns that dug into his hands as he did so.

He then reefed Zangetsu free and swung off the last of the vile plant life that dirties his sword.

He looked up to see the Demon rising back to its feet, cradling its nose after the kick that was delivered to it. The Demon looked at the boy and was surprised he was able to withstand him for so long. Against any other opponent and they would be dead.

Alzzin looked back to see that not many of his brethren remained, he needed to kill him before the others join him in his attack. He wouldn't stand a chance against them alone. He turned to the boy and regarded him for a moment. His magic would do little against him in this regard, and his skill with a sword is not enough. Then he would require brute force to bring him into submission.

Discarding the weapon in his hand, he began to chant, he took in the boys confused expression as he threw away his weapon. How little he knew about the capabilities he possessed...

With a final chant his body began to shift and morph. His muscles began to grow and shift, his bones broke and reformed, his body grew more fur and his teeth lengthened and grew more canine. His eyes altered colour and his facial muscles snapped and changed. He was becoming something else, and Ichigo watch in shock as the demon before him change into something he couldn't believe. Slowly his features changed from that of a humanoid to that of a wolf, and soon before him was a large wolf with dull grey-green fur and a salivating jaw.

Without warning it charged towards Ichigo ready to rip out his throat with its many jagged teeth.

* * *

Turok shot a Satyr attacking from his right before he stabbed another to his left, before he hoisted him up and tossed him off his spear. His armor and flesh was littered with small cuts and bruises, the enemy had been relentless in their attack and no one came out unscathed. He looked over to see that everyone was wounded in some form or another. Cuts and bruises all across their bodies, and their armor were drenched in blood, both their enemies and their own.

This battle was a hard one and it was still not over.

Turning he saw another one move towards the Night Elf girl, who was struggling to keep fighting. She was able to blast away one Demon but it was nothing more than a means to prevent him from getting close. She hadn't noticed to one coming at her from the side.

Turok took aim and fired.

The Demon fell and landed on two other bodies which were a few of the many that littered the floor. Adelina turned and saw the body and barely had the energy to jump up in shock. She turned to the Tauren and thanked him with a wave and a weak smile.

Turok turned away from the girl and stabbed another Satyr before firing two shots at the two behind the first; their bodies fell to the floor. To the Tauren's right he saw another Demon approach, two daggers in hand and reared back to stab. Turok could shoot him and the spear was still in another Satyrs chest. He twisted his gun to the side and swung it at the purple furred Demon, his butcher-knife-bayonet cut through the Demon's jugular with ease. It didn't even scream as it lashed out and tried to take Turok with him to the grave. Turok gave the dying satyr little regard; he had the living to deal with.

He pulled out his spear and then kicked the body away. He turned back to see the girl was being helped by Shikil'hi, she was keeping her from being killed.

'Where is that damn human?' Thought the Hunter, he was meant to be keeping that damn girl safe while they dealt with the rest of them.

He scanned the room and saw him, and was a little surprised to see him fighting against a large Dire Wolf... So that was why he wasn't able to defend the girl.

An angry roar drew his attention to the far side of the room, and when he saw it he cursed under his breath.

There was Uruk, fighting against a Blood Elf Warlock and her two minions, and from what he could see they were being strengthened with magic. While Uruk struggled against them, the Warlock would seem to be infecting him with curses to reduce him down to nothing and then kill him when he couldn't fight back anymore.

Turok growled as he turned to rush off and help that damn fool before he gets himself killed. But before he could take his second step he was halted, half a dozen Satyrs landed before him brandishing weapons of all sorts. He cursed under his breath; he didn't have time for this, he couldn't save the fool nor could he disregard the one in front of him to save that hot-headed orc. He raised his gun and shot the first one dead before turning it onto another. He pulled the trigger and they charged, the third fell quickly enough but now he was forced to defend himself form three attacks at close range.

* * *

Uruk growled at he felt the Dark Magic course though his body. His entire body felt like it was on fire, and the smallest of movement caused him agony and the wind that he breathed into his lungs felt like razor blades and his heart beating in his chest made him want to pass out. Every single bit of movement in his body caused him pain!

He looked over to the Warlock and saw her laughing at his suffering. The only thing keeping him alive right now was the fact that he was going to kill that bitch! He turned to see a claw move for his face...

He leaned away and swung at the scrawny demon, but it leapt away from him and laughed manically at Uruk's failed attempt to maim him. Uruk was slow and he knew it was because of that damn Warlock! He didn't expect her to empower the Demons and make them bigger or that she would be cowardly enough to curse him, but he should have known better, all Warlocks were cowards. His own short-sightedness was going to be the death of him. He would never admit it but he knew that he was a fool to think he could win this, but he was a Warsong Raider and he won't back down from a fight just because he could lose, he would charge in none the less!

He felt a great force strike him in the back and he fell to his knees and nearly losing his axe. He looked over his shoulder to see the other Demon dancing around and throwing a ball of flame between its hands. The pain he felt from the attack was greater than what it should have been. His armor could withstand the attack and block out the fire, but the heat and force of the strike made him shiver in pain. He struggled to his feet and as he did he felt something slice into his arm. An angry roar escaped his lips before he lashed out at his attacker, which leapt away once more and laughed at his failure.

When that happened Uruk felt the urge to fall to his knees and scream out in pain as the wound on his arm flared. Even though it was only a moderate laceration it felt like his entire arm have been covered in cuts and then set alight. The curse on him was wearing him down and he couldn't last much longer.

Looking up he saw the Warlock smile down at him mockingly before she gestured with her hand to her minions to keep attacking. Uruk snarled as he swung his axe at his attackers, but like all the other time he missed and nearly fell to his knees. He turned and ducked away from a fireball that was aimed for his back. He then charged the Demon in retaliation and was nearly successful in cutting off its head, but was only able to take off one horn. The Demon leapt away and started running around like a lunatic.

Uruk turned to see the Warlock preparing another spell.

He growled and tried to charge the damn demonic user, but was stopped by the second Imp. He swung his axe and when it jumped away Uruk saw the Warlock release her spell. And a ball of shadowy death sped towards him, faster than he could dodge and likely more than enough to bring him to his knees and slowly kill him or finish outright.

He gripped his axe and prepared to meet it head on like a Warrior worthy of the Warsong Clan!

* * *

Ichigo swung Zangetsu at the surprisingly agile Wolf and unsurprisingly missed. He saw it leap to the side before charging around and getting behind the Substitute to cut into his back. Ichigo let out a scream of pain before he spun around and swung at the animal. But it had leapt away once more and out of range. Ichigo faced the Demon-dog down and with his snarl on his lips challenged him to attack. The Wolf did so and lunged at the young Shinigami.

Ichigo jumped to the side and swung down at the Wolf neck, but it was able to dodge easily to the side and out of the blade range. Out of sheer frustration Ichigo threw Zangetsu at the dog, the blade impaled itself into the ground and shattered the tiles where the wolf once stood, but none the less the demon-dog was unharmed. Pulling Zangetsu back he held it in front of him trying to think of a way to take down this little problem before it got the better of him.

He could go Bankai but he didn't have enough spiritual energy to maintain it for more than a few seconds after releasing and then he would probably pass out from exhaustion and be at the mercy of this guy.

The same goes for his Mask; he didn't have the energy for such a large increase in his spiritual pressure, so he had to take him down the old fashion way - with skill and a little bit of luck.

Ichigo charged forward at the massive Wolf, although his plan was to try and lure him into a corner and then pounce it was better than anything else he could think up. He swung at the Wolf wildly, attack after attack. Nothing precise or with any effort, just to push the creature on edge until he could trap it or to find an opening he could exploit.

Ichigo battled against the Demon-dog for several minutes, but sadly couldn't find an opening in its defence. It was fast and very nimble for its size, and even though Ichigo pressed his attack without respite the Demon was able to attack him. Claw marks were scratched across his arms, legs and chest. Obviously his tactics were doing no good against the beast, but there wasn't anything else he could do.

He ducked to the side as the Wolf leapt forward to slice into his neck with its claw, but passed where his head was just a moment ago.

Ichigo swung Zangetsu overhead and down at the Dire Wolf only for it to leap away, growling in the only way a human could. Ichigo was getting frustrated with this thing!

He couldn't hit it close up and he couldn't hit it from range, what else was there?

Then a thought came to mind.

Maybe he could hit it, but not with the blade?

He released his grip on Zangetsu and grabbed hold of the white cloth and began to spin it like a flail. Ichigo raised his weapon overhead and watched the Demon. Its claws sunk into the ground and it kept its body low, ready to leap out of the way and attack when Ichigo did. For a few seconds nothing happened between the two except for each preparing to attack the other.

Eventually Ichigo fired Zangetsu at the Demon, swinging his sword forward it shot out like a bullet at the Satyr in a Wolf's clothing. It only had a fraction of a second to dodge the attack and it was able to do so, narrowly. And when it dodged the blade sunk into the wall behind it and shattered the stone. The area erupted with dirt and dust, hiding the Wolf from sight, but it appeared soon after speeding out of the cloud and towards the Substitute. Moving in to finish the boy off after their long struggle against one another.

Ichigo saw him coming and didn't move, the substitute waited for the right moment to leap out of the way.

When the Demon lunged at him, fang bearing to rip out his throat he struck.

Leaning to the side he threw something at the Wolf that wrapped around its throat as it leapt past him. The Wolf landed and moved away to get out of the substitutes range, but choked when he was forcefully stopped a few metres away. Looking back he saw the Substitute had somehow grabbed hold of him with a white cloth. Ichigo had hold of him like a dog on a leash and now it was time to punish him like one.

Ichigo pulled hard on the cloth in his right hand and pulled Zangetsu free from the stone and back into his hand. He turned to the Demon-dog who was biting and clawing at the cloth, but it was futile. It was composed purely of Reishi, there was no way he could break it with just his claws and fangs. Ichigo then tugged on the cord to pull the Demon closer, and then drew back Zangetsu and threw him at the Demon in a wide arc.

The Satyr in disguise ducked under the attack as best it could, a few pieces of fur were cut away from its back but it was not harmed. Ichigo caught Zangetsu as it withdrew back towards him, before swung it again at the Demon from the opposite direction.

This time it hit its mark.

Blood sprayed from the Demons side as Zangetsu sunk into its hide; it let out a pain howl before trying to charge Ichigo.

Pulling Zangetsu back he threw it low at the Demon, and as expected it leap over the attack, which Ichigo wanted it to do. He pulled the cloth hard and the Demon along with it. The beast sailed overhead and Ichigo smashed its body into the hard tiled ground. Ichigo attacked again, swinging Zangetsu at the Demon multiple times and finally being able to wound him and wear the demon down.

Many laceration appeared across the Demon-Wolf's hide and blood splattered to the ground. After swinging once more it attacked, Ichigo didn't have time to pull Zangetsu back and attack so the Demon was able to reach him.

The Wolf leapt high and planned on pinning the boy to the ground and ripping him apart.

But Ichigo had other ideas; he grasped the cloth close to the Demon-Wolf's neck and pulled it down. The Wolf slammed into the ground and was held there by Ichigo, who pulled back Zangetsu and in a reverse grip stabbed the Demon through its side. A painful scream escaped its lips before it leapt away.

The Wolf thrashed around trying to dislodge the blade in its side, Ichigo kept hold of the Demon with the cloth around its neck and on Zangetsu's hilt, but still its thrashing and strength made it difficult. Seeing as how he needed to finish this off he decided to give it another grand slam. Ichigo tugged on the cloth to the side and knocked the Demon-Wolf of balance. He then tugged it harder in the opposite direction and dragged the Demon along the ground. Ichigo performed a full rotation before slamming the Satyr in disguise into a stone column in the middle of the room.

The massive square column was nearly broken in two, only a small amount of it remained to keep the roof as it was. Ichigo tugged on the right cloth and tried to pry his Zanpakutō free. He was able to and he felt it releases from the body of his enemy. It flew toward Ichigo, who focused on his blade and readied to catch it, but when he felt his left cloth go slack he looked back to the cloud of dust to see something shooting out of it.

To his surprise the Demon-Wolf was still alive! Ichigo grasped Zangetsu and swung it at the Demon again... He hoped it would leap over the blade and he would toss it aside again, but was shocked when the Demon allowed itself to be struck, the edge of the blade sinking into the creatures flank.

Ichigo let go of the cloth and raised his hand to stop to Demon, it lunged at him and slammed into his chest. Ichigo was knocked off his feet and onto his back with the Demon-Wolf on top of him. Ichigo raised his arm to grasp the beast's neck to prevent it from ripping outs his own.

Struggling to keep the salivating dog from his head Ichigo tried desperately to get the creature off of him, his right arm kept it at bay and he had only one other. He punched the Wolf in the snout but it only aggravated it... He punched it again and it only increased the pressure...

Its claws digging into his chest as it pressed all the harder to sink its teeth into the young Shinigami's neck. Ichigo continued to pummel against the dog's head, hoping to either knock it out or get if off of him, but the creature continued to press down on him and draw closer to his face.

Ichigo turned his head away from the beast.

He tried to think of a way to get this thing off of him.

He couldn't reach Zangetsu and he couldn't even push this thing off of him. He needed to kill it but he couldn't do it without a blade! He opened his eyes and saw something he didn't expect.

The machete he had been defending himself against in this monster's hands was only a few feet from him, it was his only chance! He reached for the blade and tried to grasp it but the wolf's weight kept him from extended himself any further. Ichigo continued, he felt the dire wolf's snout against his ear and he knew if he didn't hurry he was a dead man. His allies were still fighting against the Satyrs that were still alive, but he would be dead before they could try and help.

Ichigo could feel his fingertips touch against the strange metal; he tried harder and felt his fingers brush against the hilt, he nearly had it! He tried to grasp for it but as he did something slammed onto his arm...

The Demon-dog had slammed its paw into his arm. Ichigo looked up as saw the Wolf snarling down at him. It raised its head back and planned to slam it down on the boy's neck and finish him, but as it did Ichigo found his chance to get the Demon off of him for a moment. Pulling up both legs he was able to get them against the Wolf's chest and throw it off.

Reaching for the Machete he grasped it as the Wolf pounced on him once more. Ichigo pulled the blade back and the next thing that was heard was the sound of flesh tearing.

The Wolf had landed on Ichigo and sunk its teeth around his neck, but, it hadn't clamped them down.

Its mouth was open in a silent scream of pain as the machete had torn through its chest and out its back. Ichigo tossed the Wolf aside and rolled away from it. The Wolf was still alive! It managed to get to its feet but it couldn't do more than that.

It slowly began to glow and its body morph, its muscles contracted and shrunk, its snout pulled back into its face and its fur disappeared under its skin. Zangetsu fell from the Wolf's side, its edge bloody with the dark red blood of the Demon.

Ichigo shot forward and retrieved his weapon. He looked down and saw that the Demon was changing from the form of a Wolf to something... humanoid.

Eventually it took on the familiar form of a green furred Satyr.

Ichigo saw him on his hands and knees with the sword through his chest, it was likely it had cut through his heart and that the only thing keeping it alive was the tainted Druidic powers it wielded. It got up on its knees and looked down at the blade that had pierced it chest. The weapon that it was intended to use to end the young Shinigami's life was going to be the end of his own... The irony of it was not pressed upon.

Alzzin grasped the sword and slowly pulled it from his chest, he gasped in pain as it cut more of his flesh and heart apart, but when the blade was free he discarded it and then looked up at the Shinigami who stood beside him like some sort of executioner.

"This… means… nothing!" Said Alzzin, his mouth erupted with a spray of blood, and he fell to his hands to keep himself upright. "The Legion… cannot be stopped… We will come... even if we all fall… this world will burn… all creation… will burn!"

"Not while I'm around." Said Ichigo, raising Zangetsu up and readied to deliver the final strike.

"I die knowing… that Lord… Hel'nureth will… kill you." Choked the Demon, his blood filling his lungs, but he would die not on his own blood.

Ichigo brought down his zanpokuto and lopped off the Demon's head, its body and head struck the ground with two distinct and audible thuds.

* * *

Ichigo gave it only a moment regard before he turned to see Turok blowing the head off the last Satyr in the room.

Looking around he saw Shikil'hi and Adelina panting and a bit hurt, although not as bad as everyone else. This battle was a fierce one, everyone had many wounds and their clothing was either banged up or in tatters, some more so than others. Rai was a little better off and only had cuts on his leather armour rather than to himself, but it was skilled caked in demon blood.

Ichigo searched for Uruk but he couldn't see him anywhere.

A roar drew his attention and he found large Orc, but the sight was more than just shocking. He was before an Elven woman in red robes and staff shrouded in black mist, her hand was extended towards the Orc and she began to siphon energy from him. Ichigo could feel the Orc's soul being ripped out of his body. He could feel the Warsong warrior's Reiatsu being drawn from his body and into the Elf. She was actually stealing his soul!

Ichigo charged forward.

He needed to stop her before she took it completely, but as he drew close two Demons appeared before him. Four foot tall pale green skinned Imps. They had maniacal smiles on their faces and flames dancing in their hands. Ichigo raised Zangetsu and readied himself.

One Demon jumped forward and swung at the Substitute, Ichigo blocked the swing easily enough, but when the Demon leapt out of the way and a bolt of fire came swirling at him, his eyes widened.

Then from the side something collided with it. Turning he saw a battered Shikil'hi and Adelina, their arms up and coiling with lightning and green energy, respectively...

And in that moment the two Imps attacked them...

Either sending fireballs or lunging at them. Rai jumped in to deal with the beasts up close, leaving Ichigo to charge in and save the Orc, he did so without hesitation. He moved towards the Elf and readied Zangetsu, but as he drew close she stopped siphoning the Orc's soul and pointed her staff at Ichigo. A bolt of shadow flew from the tip of the staff. Ichigo ducked to the side and avoided it, she did the same spell again and this time three bolts came out. He dodged the first, before swinging Zangetsu at the second, shattering the bolt and dodging the third all together.

He drew closer and when he was about to strike, the Elf vanished in a flash of green light. Ichigo's Zanpakutō slammed into the ground without touching the woman. He looked down to see burnt into the stone was a strange pentagram of unknown symbols. He looked over to the Orc to see that he had visibly aged and was covered in many wounds. Whatever that woman had done to him had really done a number on him, his hair had gone white, his face had slackened and muscle mass had decreased.

"Damn… Warlock..." He growled out in a weak voice, his breathing was laboured and wheezing.

Ichigo could see that whatever she had done to him would likely kill him, he needed to find her and kill her before whatever is afflicting him does him in, maybe he could still save him from this.

He turned to see the witch in the middle of the room, aiding her minions against the rest of the group. Ichigo pulled the Orc and sat him against the wall, but he couldn't just stay with him. He needed to kill that Warlock before she does this to the rest of them.

Uruk grabbed hold of Ichigo's shoulder and make him look into his eyes; in the orcs weary eyes Ichigo saw it, the fire. His anger for what had happened as apparent as the wounds across his body, and Ichigo knew what the Orc was asking.

He wanted vengeance.

He wanted to take that Warlock with him when he died!

"Don't worry, I'll get her." Said Ichigo, a silent promise to the honourable warrior in his final moment.

Ichigo turned on his heels and charged forward, leaving the Orc to watch the battle from afar.

* * *

Ichigo charged the Warlock head on and intended to cut off her head in one swoop, but she turned toward him and with but a wave of her hand green flamed emerged from nowhere and surrounded her, protecting her from any harm. She cast her staff forward and the flames raced towards Ichigo. The shinigami did the only thing he could to stop the flames, he raised Zangetsu and funnelled his Reiatsu into his blade, and he hoped this will work.

"Getsuga Tenshō" He roared aloud.

A wave of blue Reiryoku shot out from his blade and collided with the wall of flames. The fire was blown away and dispersed and the wave continued on towards the master of the flame.

The Blood Elf was shocked by the boy's power and attack. She teleported away from it quickly and noticed that when it passed her position and collided with the wall it created a devastating explosion. And when she turned back she saw both her Imps had been killed. She cursed under her breath, she would need to deal with them before they noticed where she was, but when she heard something behind her she froze. She could only glance over her shoulder to see the young human that had nearly obliterated her with that attack of him.

'How did he…?' Lethtendris though.

But she couldn't even finish it before Ichigo swung his sword. It cut thought her spine and back, she was dead before she hit the ground. She fell to her knees and then the rest of the way without a sound passing through her lips.

Ichigo was panting from the exertion of the whole ordeal they had gone through when they entered this room. It was like they had been attacked by a whole army, he looked over to see that everyone was alright, maybe had seen better days, but alright was better than dead.

Ichigo then remembered Uruk was still hurt. He rushed over to see if he was alright, everyone else followed and they found the Orc, leaning against the wall, dead. His now dull grey eyes were still open and staring off toward nothing. Ichigo stared at the orc with a solemn scowl on his features, he cursed under his breath for not being fast enough again. First Hawnia and now Uruk, they weren't supposed to die, they were meant to get through this and go back home. Uruk may be part of an invading force but still he was an honourable warrior, he didn't deserve to die like this.

How many more are going to die?

Who's next on these Demons hit list?

Rai?

Shikil'hi?

Turok?

Adelina?

He couldn't even think about, he couldn't think about the possibility of these people dying. He didn't like the fact that two were already dead! He looked over to see Turok offering a small prayer along with Shikil'hi. Rai was keeping a look out and Adelina looked sorrowful for the dead Orc, even though there was no love between the two races it was still sad to see one die in such a horrid way.

* * *

Soon everyone was sitting down and recovering from their wounds. Shikil'hi and Adelina offering their aid in healing everyone.

The body of Uruk was dragged over to a small stone slab and placed upon it; he would be recovered later when they leave. Ichigo was staring at him from where he was seated; he couldn't believe that they had already lost two of their people in such a short time. In only two hours had they lost either of them.

He knew people died, but he had never really seen it up close, he had never seen someone die like that. He had never killed anyone before either, but now... He looked over to the woman he had cut down only a few minutes ago, her body still on the floor and surrounded by the bodies of dozens of Satyrs.

He was having doubts... He had actually killed someone...

No.

He had killed more than just one, he had killed many.

The Ogres, the Naga, the Satyrs, the Demons...

He had killed so many since he got here, but why did he do it? He never killed anything in his life. So why was it so easy for him to do this? Why could he cut down those serpents and those giant boneheaded Ogres without a second thought?

Maybe... Maybe it was because they weren't human? Maybe because they didn't look human he didn't think of them anything close to such? But even Ogres are similar to humans... They can have families... They may be stupid and violent, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily bad. It's just who they are... Maybe he was doing this all wrong, maybe he shouldn't be here.

"That ability of yours..." The gravelly voice of Turok broke his out of his reverie. Ichigo groaned; he knew where this was going. "I remember it when you faced Immol'thar, you move faster than they could see and appeared in another spot and possess strength that rivals anything I have ever seen in a warrior your size..."

Ichigo looked up at the Tauren. He was looking down at him, and from the look in his eyes he was accusing the boy of something.

"What are you not telling us boy?" The Tauren hunter questioned.

Ichigo didn't bat an eye at the massive Hunter, he knew he wanted answers. He would love to give them, but that would only complicate things and he didn't need complications. He wanted to do what he needed to and get out.

"You bring this up now?" Asked Ichigo, his words just above a growl. "After losing someone you come to me and then start accusing me of some crime, what the fuck give you the right to judge me?"

The Tauren's eyes narrowed.

"I have the right when I feel my party is in danger, and you have the potential to be one." Stated the Tauren, his tone becoming much more dangerous as he spoke.

"What danger? How have I threatened you? Have I tried to kill you? Betray you? No, I came on this because I wanted to help." Barked Ichigo, rising to his feet and facing the Tauren directly. "And look what it gotten me, two dead people and nothing but scorn from the rest of you."

He glanced around to see the fiery eyes of Shikil'hi focusing on him, as well as the mischievous gaze of Rai, whose eyes didn't shine like a prankster, but of someone who was planning on something a little more roguish.

"Your powers are more than they appear to be and your knowledge of this place is far more than ours." Stated Turok, which made Ichigo look at him and his eyebrows furrowed. "As for my comrades, their deaths were of their own choosing, and you shouldn't concern yourself with it."

Ichigo's eyes widened at the Taurens words. He just said that their deaths were their own faults.

"Hawnia died because she wished to save the girl, but it was a foolish waste of life on her part." Ichigo could see from the corner of his eye Adelina's head drop. Those words hit her hard and Ichigo's hands balled into fists in anger. "And Uruk, the fool charge in and didn't even think. His death was as it was expected to be, a complete failu…"

He never finished, Ichigo's fist shot up and connected with the Tauren's chin. Turok was knocked off his hooves and onto the ground, everyone was shocked by this and two certain Trolls went for their weapons, but Ichigo ignored them and approached the Tauren. Grabbing the neck guard of his armour he pulled him up enough to look him in the eye.

"Don't you dare, say that about them!" He shouted at the Tauren, which made both Trolls pause in their attack. "They were your comrades, they fought by your side and bled along with you, and you say it was their fault they're dead? What about you?!"

Turok's eyes widened at the boys accusation, Ichigo was accusing him of their deaths?

"Well? Did you even try to save them? Try to reach them when they were in trouble? Or did you watch and not give a damn?" Growled Ichigo, his irises turning gold and dark tendrils started to close in around the surface of his eyes. "Do you even care that they're dead? Do you even care about Rai and Shikil'hi? Can they expect the same treatment when they die?"

Everyone was silent for a moment. The boy's words ringing though the halls and in their ears. The fact he was defending the dead and them was a surprise, they didn't see it the same way as he did. People die all the time. That was the way of the world, and with all the dangers in it, you either die because your unlucky, outmatched or stupid, so when they see this boy barking at Turok about disrespecting the dead. It made them wonder, when they started to disregard their fellow kind, and become so detached that they don't even care anymore.

"What is the use of honour when you don't even care for the warriors beside you?" Those words struck them all differently. Turok was shocked that the boy would question his honour. Shikil'hi was also surprised that the boy actually had some wisdom and Rai was impressed by the boy's word, even a Rogue like him had some shred of honour.

"Only monsters disregard their comrades without a care. They can have as much honour as they want, but that doesn't change the fact of what they are." Said Ichigo in a low fervent voice.

Ichigo let go of Turok and he hit the ground with a small thud. Ichigo walked away and picked up Zangetsu and sheathed it on his back. He turned around and looked at the Tauren, his eyes returning back to their normal colour.

"You want to know about who and what I am? You want to know what makes me different from everyone else." He asked calmly and without emotion. "Fine, I'll tell you, but not until the Dreadlord is dead and this city is no longer a bastion for the Demons."

Ichigo turned around and walked off, leaving the rest of the group to watch him leave. They were surprise by his little rant about honour and respect for your fellow warriors, but still it was a strange to think his words actually hit their mark. They looked to one another for a moment before moving off after him.

As much as they didn't trust him at the moment they could see that he had some humanity in him. He probably had more than the rest of them. But for now they knew he was on their side, he wanted the Demon dead...

And they hoped that if they can kill it that they wouldn't need to do the same to him in the end.

* * *

**The reviews**

**Guest #1: I would say Byakuya would be a Mage or War-Mage, as he focuses on using his Shikai, which is a Kido-type Zanpokuto if I am not mistaken. Yoruichi I would say a Monk, through and through, even monks can use magic and other abilities similar to her, as for Urahara… hard to say but I would probably go with a Mage, their smart and use a lot of cool magical gadgets and also some can be proficient with a sword.**

**Guest #2: I agree in a way with you about his samurai honour, how he can use mostly melee weapons and such. But Bows can still be bad-ass. The reason behind him not using the mask or going Bankai is because he doesn't have enough power to maintain it, he can do so for maybe a minute or two, but he would drain himself very quickly. Think of his Mask as a device that increases the output of an electrical object, because of that the battery pushes out more energy and therefor uses more power quickly. His bankai is the same, he is using the full potential of his Reiryoku which uses a lot of power, but in Shikai it isn't putting out as much energy. He could use it yes, but afterwords he would be tired and also worn out, and exhaustion can be fatal in some cases if you're not careful.**

**Also the prince really didn't give him a change to do either while fighting.**

**Hisako69: Thank you, I try my best when it comes to fight scenes. Those are some suggestions I have to admit, I have thought about all three of them and as much as I would love to see him hook up with Alexstrasza, I might not go that way. I could have something happen between them that solidifies their friendship or something but a romance, maybe not, but still I may change my mind later on, so keep nagging me about it and I just might do it.**

**Septon: Great make sure that if I don't live up to the usual standards you will flame me, so then I know where I am going wrong.**

**Thanks for the input my friend, Ichigo with a gun, could look cool, and might look up some pictures of it.**

**So a strong companion that can defend herself and stand on her own two feet, yeah we got tonnes of that in Warcraft.**

**Anon4: Yeah don't worry, Adelina is a Restoration Druid.**

**So several woman could be interested but have one or two that capture his heart, I like the way you think my friend, I will keep this in mind and make a list of all the woman that can frolic at his feet. I have several Ideas about weapons and also just because he could get one, doesn't mean he can't get others later on.**

**As I said to Guest #2: he couldn't use his mask or Bankai due to the force and energy consumption it generates when he activates it, it's like a battery, you draw too much power out to quick and eventually it runs flat quickly.**

**Guest #3: No gun, ditto, Adelina gets stronger, got it. Ichigo and Jaina, that kind of weird as she is like twice his age, but who am I to judge. Alexstrasza falling for the substitute, maybe. So the reason Sylvanas would befriend him is to save her own ass, sounds about right.**

**GodEmperor: Primarch-Progenitor, to your glory and the glory of Him on Earth!**

**Raximus: Armour doesn't mean that you're not a good warrior, it can serve many purposes, protection, and intimidation and also to show off how awesome you look while kick ass.**

**Yeah about as tall as him and nearly as wide as his chest.**

**Romance, I can get it, but still it's too early for it, I need time to get it ready and it might not really flourish for a while.**

**Nisemono96: Got it guns, or not, stick with the last review and elves, any elves or both, sweet!**

**Plums: Yeah, I was hoping to add something more to it, but I really didn't get much out of it other than her being a resurrected guard dog for Tortheldrin, and all I could do was have her say Thank You, I didn't want to draw it out as something cliché. Don't worry, this chapter does have fighting but also plot development and story. The next one will have more as well.**

**Ultima-owner: Yeah, I like how that turned out, it was pretty cool, hope to do more as good as that as time goes.**

**NIX'S WARDEN: Kenso a lich, could have a lot things happen. As for not using the mask, it is the same as the Bankai sadly; it provides a massive boost in power as the effect of drawing upon more of his own power by increasing the output of his Reiryoku. Therefor he uses more power, that is why when he uses his mask he gets a similar boost as he does with his Bankai. Hope that clears things ups for you.**

**Leapinglemur: That's great to hear, hope you like this one, there are some funning things in this one and also some more fights.**

**Leapinglemur: (writing you name twice was redundant) Damn right he is a badass, you wouldn't have him any other way. That's a first, hasn't had anyone say anything about a shield, and could be cool. Romance introducing Ichigo to Rai's sister, that could be a funny situation, I'll keep that in mind.**

**Tundrafire: "And thus begins the silence of peace" thanks for the review and quote.**

**Pyromania101: I kind of thought the name would go well with the type of fights you have with the bosses, it's a tank and spank fight with those two.**

**Chaos-Guards: A pistol, will keep that in mind, also if you haven't already vote, and Adelina, yeah he might go for the clumsy ones.**

**Culaio: Glad you like it, as for Hawnia's death, I think I messed up and didn't have it right, Ichigo was meant to be shown incapacitated when she was attacked, so it didn't go down as smooth as I was hoping it would.**

**Also about the spirits, he was getting too much negative attention from the others for what he did, if he continued to cleanse them he would be forced to tell them about what he is and also what he did, he didn't want to risk it so he kept his mouth shut and hoped for the best.**

**Guest #4: I wouldn't mind him using a pistol but I can see where people are coming from with his samurai honour. Also another sword would be cool for duel wielding. Glad you agree on the romance card. To many OC's not too bad, just got to make sure you don't put them all in too much.**

**It wasn't hesitation that she passed on, it wasn't meant to be that he was incapacitated and when she was attacked Ichigo couldn't get up fast enough to react, but I must have forgotten to add that part into the story.**

**Culaio: Yeah I took a look at it, about him getting his fullbringing powers, I think maybe not, as he has no idea about these power and also I do not know if he can use them while he is a shinigami, also Shamans don't actually control the spirits, they beseach them and ask for help. Their main powers come from asking spirits for power and aid, and this inst where you can use it to your full advantage, you have to give in order to take, its kind of like Alchemy from Full Metal Alchemist (Equal Exchange).**

**But still he is growing and I will keep this in mind, he could start developing new powers that might be along the lines of a Fullbringing, and also he could use other weapons and incorporate them into his skill set, like a fullbringer does with certain items.**

**As for romances, I was very keen on giving him to a nice girl and then have that develop over a very long time, a mean like very long time, like years, and my Beta-reader has been hassling me to give him two girls, I can get the idea of a harem being great, after all a dozen woman swooning over you, come on any man would feel like a god at that moment. But still i have no problem with his making a few good friends and maybe a bit of sexual tension between some people, but there will only be one or two woman he will really get intimate with. I'm sorry man but as you said some harem fics can be realistic but I cannot see my self trying to do that, and as me not having to make this realistic, that is something I cant do either, I am an anal attentive writer who cannot write something that does not in some shape or form fit within the realm of plausible possibility. Sure I can see a bunch of woman have an attraction to a guy but all of them willing to share, that goes against nature itself and all things that prove woman are possessive about their things and are completely bat-** crazy. But still this story is still in its infant stages, anything could change in how this thing could go.**

**His overflowing reiatsu is something I didn't take into account, even though its low it can still have a possible effect on some people, I will have to sort this out, it could cause a lot of changes in some people or possibly awaken them to higher levels, but still it is relatively low and wont have a large effect, but still that is something to think about. Thank you for bringing this up, it will help for future chapters if some characters are gonna get spiritual abilities.**

**Ichigo vs Yogg'saron, are you kidding me, I have it all planned out, the chapter will be named "Death God vs God of Death" or "Death-berry vs. Death-Squid" still working on it but still I cannot do this without putting that in, if anything I would rather him fight Yogg'saron than fight the Lich King, truly it is something you cannot not have in this story.**

**I want to thank you for the Idea's keep them coming, I plan on doing a lot of things for this story and am always looking for people to give some input.**

**Guest #5: Green Drake or Red Drake, kind of like a game of green light and red light.**

**TheDemonKingNaruto: Shall I offer a tissue to you bleeding eye sockets. I am always looking for characters for my stories please send them In, sorry for not replying to quick, but I have been busy the last few weeks.**

**Princess Tess Greymane, now that I wasn't expecting, you really have some good ones there my friend, and a really interesting choice, I might look into this more deeply.**

**Guest #6: To Toshiro, they would think him a kid, as for his Zanpokuto, possibly and elemental trapped in a sword, or maybe a dragon even, they could think him a Dragonspawn or even a Dragonkin. They would think that he was the Lich Kings arch enemy, and then the battle between frost and flame would begin and it would be epic.**

**Xemmnas: Damn right he is badass. A gunblade, been a while since I heard that suggestion, glad to hear it.**

**Reaper7: Yeah, my beta-reader uses it to help isolate certain words that have double meaning within the story to help him beta-read and sometime I forget to remove those that shouldn't be there or not.**

**Saddas74:That is true about the power mechanic, but since Ichigo isn't recovering his energy quickly he is forced to keep his power in reserve for emergencies, after all if he went Bankai he would likely drain all his reiatsu in a minute flat. Yeah, don't worry; the poll was to help me decide way later on if he should get a weapon, like way later on. Adelina or Jaina, the first I can understand, but Jaina, he wouldn't be able to even think about getting her until after Wrath of the Lich King and even then she is nearly twice as old as he is.**

**Lord Sigfry: Yeah, I usually start off a bit rough and then it gets better, kind of weird though, but my United against the Legion of Flames doesn't seem to be getting any better thought. Thank you, I will try to limit my commas and not make things drag on to much, also if the Author notes are to large please tell me.**

**Chooocolate: Glad you like it.**

**Apocalyptian Scribe: OMG! I am such a fan! I mean OMG I love "Of Lightning, Flesh and Swords" I love it. As for his Bankai, its in his inner world, tehe.**

**G diddles: Thanks mate**

**Frost Wolf: So a night elf aside from the one who is stalking him, I'll keep a look out.**

**Lunarmon: Yeah, I kind of such when I first start a story, you should check of Lords of Warcraft, man I was bad back then.**

**Sidestory: Did someone say Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker! I would love to him with that, actually I was thinking on adding that to the story, so we will see. Jaina, Ysera or Tyrygosa, another unique choice, although she doesn't have a high opinion of mortals it could still be worked in somewhere. I'll look into it.**


	9. Chapter 08: The King

**Hello everybody, how are you doing? good? good.**

**Now I would like to apologize for the long wait, but there were problems. what problems you say. lets just say they were unavoidable... problems. TROLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL  
**

**Anyway, I am back and better then ever, I was sick and dying, mainly wishing I was dead because I was so sick. But now I am back and getting back into the fray and looking for showing you my latest chapter. I apologize to some people, there is some action in this, but luckily only half of it is action, this is the final part of the Dire Maul storyline. From here on in, it will be the journey to Theramore.**

**Also I have a new Pole on my profile that you should vote on, it could be fun. as for the results of the last pole here they are.**

_Should Ichigo get a secondary weapon? (If so vote and review on my story to say which Item from wow or any other game you think would be nice to see in Ichigo's hands.)_

_1. No - Leave him as he is: 23 vote/s_

_2. Yes - A Pistol: 11 vote/s_

_3. Yes - A Sword: 7 vote/s_

_4. Yes - A Shield: 6 vote/s_

_5. Yes - A Gun Blade: 4 vote/s_

_6. Yes - A Axe: 4 vote/s_

_7. Yes - A Polearm: 2 vote/s_

_8. Yes - A Gun (Rifle): 1 vote/s_

_9. Yes - A Bow: 1 vote/s_

**Well there you have it, you don't want Ichigo getting any of the epic loot. But if he could you should visit the profile to see what Item he should get, these are fun little poles that I'll put up to see what you people think should happen with Ichigo.  
**

**Reviews are down the bottom.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 08: The King**

Ichigo charged through the dark stoned hallway, the only sound that he could hear was his heart thumping in his chest and his sandals striking against the stone, but behind him he could hear more than just his own footsteps. An assortment of boots, feet and hooves were accompanying him on his run through this ruined and dark passageway.

He would have smiled at the fact that they decided not to leave him to fend for himself in this place, but the trust between them was on thin ice as it was, so relief could come when their reason for being here was complete.

They find that Dreadlord and kill him, then they won't have to worry about anything else, he would tell them everything he could: his status as a Shinigami, his mission to return home, his role in bringing the Demon here.

Although telling them _may_ cause physical harm to his person but they still deserved to know _what_ caused this entire event. He owed them that much as well as Hawnia and Uruk who died. Their sacrifice wouldn't be in vain so long as he stood strong, and he would be damned if he was going to let anyone else die on his watch. He had caused enough death since he arrived here, and he would end it with just one more.

Ichigo passed around the corner and came to a long high ceilinged corridor. As far as he could see there were bodies of many Demons and Ogres, their corpses lying in heaps or on their own. Some were leaning along the wall or impaled against it. The smell of blood was thick in the air, as was the continuing ding of battle in the distance. What had happened here was nothing short of a massacre, and he knew that if he followed it further he would find the cause of this along with the leader of this Demonic Horde.

Ichigo grasped Zangetsu and charged towards the sound of battle, with his allies right behind him and doing the same. Leaping over the corpses of the recently fallen and ducking under the spears and sword that were used to hold the dead against the wall, he ran.

The Demon was definitely close; he could _feel_ it in his being. His time in the Twisted Nether had almost made him _attuned_ to the corrupting energies of the Demons that reside within that cursed dimension. It felt like all kinds of wrong and evil, but also it was enticing like it wanted him to submit to its will. But he wouldn't allow something like that to control him, there was already _one_ who had that covered and he wasn't going to let him out for a spin any time soon.

He was drawn from his thoughts of the Demon by the sound of battle growing closer but also fainter. It looked like the battle up ahead was starting to come to a close, but also he could see light at the end of the tunnel.

Picking up speed they moved that much quicker, they were close to the end and didn't want to risk losing their quarry because they were slow. Soon the light grew brighter and their exit was right before them. They rushed into the light and when their eyes adjusted they found themselves in a large oval courtyard.

Large stone walls surrounded them on all sides and stone floor was littered with dozens if not hundreds of bodies. But as many dead there were littering the ground, there still those that were alive and kicking, and making sure they stayed that way, though few in number they were still enough in number to warrant some caution. The group scanned through the court and saw dozens of Demons fighting an equal amount of Ogres. The ground was red with blood, but the red stained floor could barely be seen under the blood drenched bodies that littered it.

But their eyes were focused on finding a single target rather than face a small army of Demons and Ogres.

Their eyes drew them to the far side of the courtyard, there was a raised semicircular path that had a circular stage within, and a ring of ruined pillars formed around the stage and separated it from the path. Above the pillars were slabs of stone that would have acted as nothing more than decoration for the pinnacles of the pylons, but now were far and few between the rest.

But the architecture was only the location of their target.

On the circular stage two individuals, like actors that one would see in a play, were fighting in a struggle of supremacy. One a large and robust Ogre with a great deal of armour and a golden crown with fists covered in spiked gauntlets and a massive claymore. The other was their prey, a Demon of great height and stature. Pale grey skin and dark eyes shone within its gaunt face, two large black horns that jutted from its forehead and curled upwards, large tattered wings hug from its back.

Lord Hel'nurath, the Stablemaster of Xeroth, had been found.

* * *

Both Ogre and Demon clashed against one another, claws grinding against the metal edge of the claymore, sparks flying and neither backing down from one another. They separated quickly only to follow up with another attack and continued their struggle for dominance over one another.

It was like an actual play going on before then.

Across the battle field the two armies clashed and in the centre of it all was the battle between the two generals to see who would take this city and the head of the defeated as their own.

"Move! This is our chance to end him!" Shouted Turok; charging forward and gripping the handle of his gun tightly.

The Tauren swung at the Guard and slitted its throat up with the butcher knife bayonet on the end of his gun.

Shikil'hi and Rai were close behind the Tauren, slashing or burning away anything that attacked from the sides.

Ichigo didn't follow them immediately; instead he turned to Adelina and held her at bay for a moment. This was going to be a big fight and he wanted to make sure that while he took care of that demon she was safe.

"Don't get too close to these guys, stay with Shikil'hi she will keep you safe, alright?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder to put emphasis on what he was asking of her.

She took a moment to process the request before nodding.

"Don't worry Ichigo; I'll keep out of the way." She reassured him.

Ichigo had a small smile on his face and turned back towards the rest of his advancing party.

The substitute crouched low and charged off, Adelina close behind him. His smile now replaced with a determined scowl, Ichigo had fought against this Demon before and unlike last time he was prepared to fight him and finish what he started.

* * *

Turok cut down another Demon to his left before shooting one that charged at him from the ramp leading up to the raised semicircular walkway; the Fel Guard's body was thrown back and landed against the stone with a heavy and wet thud. Leaping over the corpse Drekhve moved to the circular stage where the Clan Leader of the Ogres was fighting against the Dreadlord, he had hoped to catch the latter while he fought but instead he arrived a moment too late.

The stone floor was coated in a fresh layer of spilled blood and hanging off the ends of the Demon's clawed hand was the former King of the Gordunni Ogres, his large form suspended above the ground like nothing more than a rag doll. The Dreadlord discarded the Ogre with a simple flick of the wrist. It flew through the air shortly before its large obese form slammed into the ground and slid across the stone before falling off the stage down the rest of the dead that littered the courtyard.

The Dreadlord looked at the three before him with a sneer. Hel'nurath raised his right claw and soon it was drenched in green flames, he swiped in their general direction and watched as wall of flame sailed towards them.

Turok leapt away from the flames and ducked down under the edge of the stage to avoid the demonic fire, while Rai and Shikil'hi ducked behind the pillars to allow it to take the attack rather than them. All the while the Dreadlord watched in some glee as these mortals desperately tried to protect themselves against him. He moved to shatter the pillars with another spell when he saw something attack from his left hand side that gave him pause.

Looking up the Dreadlord saw something he never thought he would see again.

Above him was a young_ boy_.

He had tattered robes hanging from his waist and a bare scarred torso, in his raised hands was a large cleaver with a white cloth attached to the hilt, and he had bright _orange_ hair, and there was only one thing Lord Hel'nurath could say at that moment.

"You!" He bellowed in rage as he narrowly dodged the attack, which shattered the stone floor where he once stood.

But before he could even get a good footing he was force to defend against another attack.

A wide slash to his right side forced him to raise his claws to prevent himself from being bisected in two. Zanpakutō grind against the Dreadlord's nails before sliding clear, and then the young Substitute followed up with another attack. Slashing down at the Demon's horned head.

The Demon crouched low and raised his left claw to block, using his right to support him as the force nearly knocked him off his hooves. With a growl he pushed the blade away from his face, and then tossed it aside. Rising to his full height Hel'nurath quickly swiped at Ichigo's head, but Ichigo was able to duck under the swipe and then counter. He turned swiftly to his left and swung Zangetsu with the turn, the blade bit into the Demon's armour and into the flesh that lay hidden beneath it.

The Dreadlord let out a groan as he felt the blade cut into his abdomen. He looked down to see a small trickle of blood pouring out from the opening in his armour, but he was able to dodge the second swing aimed to cut open his chest.

Ichigo grabbed hold of Zangetsu with both hands and slammed it down against the Demon's claws, which sparked against the edge of the Substitute's blade.

With a growl he swiped at the Substitute with his other claw and forced him to leap away.

Hel'nurath stared at the young human before him with a furious glare. He couldn't believe he was here! He thought for sure he was killed when he tried to escape from the western part of the city! In the condition he left, if either the Ogres or Elves found him he would have been killed for sure.

But now he was standing before him healthy as ever and with only a few wounds! He underestimated him... He did that _before_ and was nearly killed because of it. Of all the people in this city the boy was the only one the Dreadlord knew would be a threat to him. The one who would cause this entire endeavour to _fail_ spectacularly!

He needed to _kill_ him.

Hel'nurath moved to gloat at the boy for coming back here and say that he only brought about his demise, but when he glimpsed a shade from his right hand side he glanced to see a Troll with two swords attacking him. The tall blue furred beast leapt at him and aimed his Rapier to skewer his head. Quickly Hel'nurath swiped at the flimsy looking weapon and knocked it aside with little trouble, but the Troll had accounted for such a calamity and swung his Sword-Breaker right at the back of the Dreadlord's neck.

Hel'nurath cursed as he was forced to duck forward or lose his head. He avoided decapitation but he did not come out of it unscathed.

His right horn had been cut off by the surprisingly sharp blade, the Dreadlord was _livid_ about the loss. The fact that the mortal beast had snuck up on him infuriated the Stablemaster of Xeroth, but the loss of one of his horns was a personal slight against his integrity as a Dreadlord and a great shame.

Which infuriated him to no bounds.

* * *

With two thuds Rai landed on the stone and the horn did the same. Rai went to strike again but was not quick enough to avoid the claw that wrapped around his waist, lifting him up and slamming him into the ground hard. Rai lost all the air in his lungs and felt himself black out when his head struck the stone. He awoke a second later feeling groggy and dizzy, but when he looked up he saw a pair of claws raised to pierce him through the skull.

* * *

Hel'nurath was livid at the fact that this little _urchin_ had cut off one of his horns and personally insulted him because of it! It was due to his anger that he was unable to account for the fact that there were four others present in the vicinity that he was also fight against.

As Hel'nurath raised his claw to kill Rai he was knocked off balance by a powerful concussive force, and nearly fell from his knee and onto the ground. He felt his chest ache with pain as his armour became dented and pressed down on his chest. Looking up he saw the Tauren aiming his gun at him, the gun was smoking lightly from the quick release of a concussive round, which had done more damage to the Demon's armour that to the Demon itself.

Hel'nurath glared murderously at Turok for a long moment; this was all that was needed for the Troll to strike.

Rai had stabbed the Demon in the arm with his Sword-Breaker, forcing the Dreadlord to let go and grasp his now lacerated arm. Another shot rang out and the Demon was thrown off his knee and onto his back, its armour taking another concussive blast and cracking violently against the onslaught that it took.

Seeing the Dreadlord on its back and defenseless was Ichigo's chance to finish him. He rushed forward and leapt onto the demons chest; he raised Zangetsu and speared it down towards the Demon's foul black heart.

But as it was mere inches from piercing Hel'nurath's chest a black claw clasped around the sword and halted it. Sparks flew as Ichigo pressed harder against the claw that held his Zanpakutō in a vice, and slowly it was edging closer to the Demon's chest. But that was as far as it would get.

A claw wrapped itself around Ichigo's leg and pulled him off the Demon. The next thing he knew he was slammed into the ground.

The Demon rose and quickly flung Ichigo at the Troll.

Not having enough time to dodge Rai was knocked off his feet and barreled away along with Ichigo. They flew through the air before they rolled the rest of the way and off the circular stage and into the gap between the stage and the outer semi-circular ring.

Turok raised his gun again and fired at the Demon, an armour piercing round aimed for its head. But the Dreadlord amply dodged to the right before charging forward.

Hel'nurath's feet hovering above the ground as he glided quickly towards the Tauren Hunter, Turok fired once more and this time the Demon leapt into the air with a single beat of his wings and then glided toward the Tauren intending to crush him beneath his hooves.

Turok rolled to the side quickly and avoided the attack, the ground shattered against the Dreadlord's landing. Turok rolled onto his knee while turning and raising his gun. But as he aimed the Demon's claw wrapped around the length of the gun and ripped it from the Hunter's grasp.

Throwing the massive rifle away Hel'nurath moved to attack the Tauren.

Turok pulled his halberd free and into his right hand, and when the Demon struck out with its right claw Turok seized the chance to counter. He shot forward and blocked the Demon's arm with his left arm, which he felt almost break against the force of the strike. Turok pulled back his spear and stab it into the Demon's abdomen, aiming for the opening in the armour that Ichigo made. His aim was as true as his shooting and he pierced through the armour and into the Demon's stomach.

Hel'nurath went limp for a moment and staggered slightly, before he straightened up and grabbed hold of the Tauren's left arm and tossed him aside.

As the Tauren slammed against a pillar, the roofing collapsed and fell onto Turok, when the stones stopped falling he tried to move but Turok was stuck under the debris. Looking up he saw the Dreadlord standing over him with his spear still lodged in his gut. With an angry snarl Hel'nurath called Fel Flames to his hand and let them coil around his fingertip. The flames felt like a warm breeze to the Dreadlord compare to how dangerously _hot_ they were to others races. With a single thrust he shot the Flames at the Tauren.

The dark Flames coiled through the air and towards Turok. As it closed the Demon smirked at the thought of burning the trapped creature to ash, but as he continued he felt something slam into his side, and an eruption of flame engulfed him. His concentration was lost and the Demonic Flames that veered deathly _close_ to Turok was abated and quickly dispersed without its master's control. The Demon let out a growl as he turned to see another Troll standing off to the side with her hand extended forward and a bunch of totems around her.

"Damn little pest, I will tear out your soul!" Shouted Hel'nurath.

But before he could good on his threat he was attacked instead, his back flared with pain as he felt a sharp blade slice from his shoulder down to his lower back.

He twisted around and swung his arm at his attacker and saw the same Troll swordsman as before. And like the slippery mongrel he was he ducked under the attack and when the Dreadlord tried to slam down on him with his other claw he leapt away and doing a few acrobatic moves for the sake of it.

Hel'nurath gathered a ball of Fel Energy into his hand and threw it at the Troll. Three orbs of Flames shot towards the insufferable creatures quickly, but as he cast the Spell he was attacked from his left side by that human boy.

He raised his claw and caught the blade. He then looked at the human that had caused all this, he growled as he drew back his claw to strike. He would make him suffer for coming back here!

* * *

Seeing the claw was being drawn back he was about to leap away, but when Ichigo looked at the spear that was still stuck in the Demon's midriff, he came up with a better solution. His left hand wrapped around the shaft and he pushed it further into the Demon's wound. The Dreadlord's attack was momentarily halted which Ichigo used to his advantage. He ripped Zangetsu out of the Demon's grip and also knocked the offending limb away as well, leaving the Dreadlord's chest vulnerable.

He slashed at the Demon's chest and blood flew free in a glorious spray of crimson. The Demon backpedalled and ripped the spear from his gut and threw it aside. Then he moved to attack Ichigo again.

But an explosion of flame at his back forced the Demon onto his hands and knees, leaving the back of his neck vulnerable to Zangetsu's sharp edge, an opening that Ichigo didn't hesitate to use. He raised his Zanpakutō and moved to perform the execution. As his blade descended towards the Demon's pale neck it was halted by a raised claw.

The Demon looked at Ichigo and he could see the dark anger that radiated in its black eyes. And with a great display of speed and power he rose to his feet and threw Ichigo over his shoulder and then out of the round stage and into the far wall.

Ichigo hit against the stone wall hard, the pale grey stones breaking and crumbling under the force that accompanied Ichigo as he sailed towards the ground. Ichigo fell to the ground along with a great deal of stone and mortar. He laid flat on his face and struggled to get back up. That hit really took it out of him; he didn't expect something like that from the Demon. Hell, Immol'thar hit harder, but this guy was still in the big leagues when it came to abnormal strength.

Ichigo got up on one knee and used Zangetsu as a crutch. When he looked up he saw a wall of green Flames moving towards him. Panicking slightly at the thought of being burnt alive, he Shunpo away from the wall just as it struck where he was a moment ago. Fel Flames engulfed the entire section of the area and turned the stone black and even melted some of the smaller pebbles into green molten slag.

Ichigo landed unceremoniously on the lower part of the area, as he slowly got back to his feet he saw Rai land beside him, his clothing slightly singed.

Ichigo got back to his feet and turned back to the stage when he heard two thuds ahead of him. Looking up he saw both Turok and Shikil'hi land on the ground, beaten and in the formers case disarmed.

On the stage was the Dreadlord.

And to Ichigo's horror in his grasp was Adelina. She was flailing around trying to get out of the claws that were wrapped around her throat. The Demon looked down at them with a dark sneer before he directed his gaze solely on Ichigo.

"I underestimated you boy, I didn't think you were a threat and now look at me!" Barked the Dreadlord, his voice brimming with arrogance and anger.

"Let her go!" Shouted Ichigo, raising Zangetsu to show him he will kill him should anything happen to her.

But in truth he was killing him regardless.

"You care for this little thing here?" Hel'nurath mocked, constricting the girl's throat even more at the thought of making the boy suffer.

Adelina struggled harder and choked trying to breath.

"Put her down!" He shouted again.

Desperation starting to work its way into his tone.

"Why should I?" Bellowed the Demon. "After all you have done to me!"

* * *

Turok got himself back to his feet and reached for a large sword on the ground, a large piece of rusted metal sharpened down into a sharp edge, which was attached to a piece of wood by a leather straps. It may be nothing but it was better than nothing. He turned and dragged Shikil'hi off the ground, she was in much better shape than him but still those Flames and Dark Magic can be deadly, even when hit once. Turok looked up at the Demon and saw him strangling Adelina. He cursed under his breath.

As much as he didn't have any responsibility for the girl he didn't like the fact that she could be killed, the young didn't deserve to die.

He watched closely and saw that the Demon wasn't paying any attention to his captive, but to Ichigo. He could see the angry glare that was shared between them, _what the hell was going on here_?

"I intend to make you pay for these wounds!" Said Hel'nurath. "As well as for placing me in this miserable predicament!"

_'_What_ was he talking about?'_

That was the thought that was going through everyone's minds as they observed from the sidelines. Even with all the battle that was going on around them they could hear the Demon's monologue in perfect clarify.

* * *

"Because of you I am stuck on this damn world with nothing but a handful of competent warriors!" He snarled at the human. Ichigo scowl deepened and he gritted his teeth in anger as Adelina continued to be choked. "It is your fault that I am forced to scrounge through this pathetic ruin for anything I can use to strengthen my power!"

Turok, Rai and Shikil'hi looked on in shock at the human. Hewas the one who brought the demons here?

They were right; he was the one who had caused all of this.

"Put her down! Now!" Bellowed Ichigo, raising Zangetsu in front of him and readying to attack. "She had nothing to do with this!"

"As long as she is with you, she has everything to do with this!" The Dreadlord roared back, lifting Adelina above his head and intent on ripping her in half. She screamed as she felt him tug on her leg and neck. "I will make you suffer for you slight against me!"

"Don't count on it!" cried out Ichigo, disappearing in a burst of Shunpo and then in the same moment the Dreadlord was knocked away by a powerful kick to the stomach, his armour - weakened by Turok's barrage and the efforts of Ichigo and Rai prior - fell apart and the demon was knocked away from the edge of the stage.

* * *

Ichigo caught Adelina when she fell and Shunpo'ed back towards the group, he laid her down and looked her over. She was coughing violently; obviously that Demon's grip had nearly choked her to death. He gritted his teeth because of that.

Ichigo looked up to see the Demon advancing forward, his hand over his stomach and the remains of his armour falling away from his torso. With a snarl he looked at the young Substitute.

"Is this all you have mortal? You will have to do better against the Stable Master of Xeroth!" yelled Hel'nurath; creating a ball of condensed darkness in his hand before throwing it at Ichigo.

In an instant Ichigo shot up and swung Zangetsu at the ball of dark energy and shattered it. Without another word he charged forward to confront him, safe in the knowledge that Adelina would be safe with the others. He then charged forward to fight against the Demon, leaping onto the stage Ichigo slashed at the Dreadlord with an upward swing, his anger giving the strength he needed to fight and finish this Demon off once and for all.

But Hel'nurath backpedalled away from him quickly and senе another volley of Shadow Bolts at the Substitute. Using all his natural speed and agility Ichigo dodged them as best as he could, a few brushed dangerously close but still he remained unharmed.

Ichigo closed quickly on the Demon and slashed at its chest. The Demon turned away from the attack, and then turned back to swing its claw at the Substitute in retaliation. Ichigo ducked under the black claws and leaping away to gain some distance. He slashed at Hel'nurath as he did so to prevent him from attacking as he leapt back.

As he landed, Ichigo resumed his assault, bolting forward he raised Zangetsu up and slashed it down at the Demon, whose claws just barely prevented its own head from getting split in two.

Hel'nurath then began to channel shadowy energy into his right hand. Ichigo took noticed just in time to see it veering towards his stomach. In a desperate move he slid his blade off the Demon's claw and then struck out at the one covered in shadows.

He batted the shadowy claw aside and then struck once more, slicing his blade towards the Demon's chest, which connected and made the new wound known with a spray of blackish red blood. The Dreadlord stumbled away from the attack and watched the boy carefully.

He shouldn't be this strong! When he first battled him he couldn't even land a single strike against him, and now he was doing it like it was child's play!

"I will not lose to a mortal!" Hel'nurath roared, extending his wings and with a strong beat he lifted himself off the ground.

The Dreadlord rose through the air and landed on top of a small slab of stone held up between three pillars. He glared down at the Substitute and from there he began to channel his power. Soon his hands were engulfed in a shroud of dark magic and he began to channel it to form many different Spells.

Ichigo watched as the Demon summoned a literal storm of magical energy above him. From it shot forth lightning, wind and the promise of an agonizing death. Ichigo raised Zangetsu and readied himself for the onslaught to come.

As promised a volley of Shadow Bolts descended towards him. Ichigo dodged some of them with little effort and others he was force to rely on Zangetsu as a shield and as a bat to knock them away. But these attacks were simple feints to the true one that lay beneath his feet.

Ichigo noticed a dull green glow below him and when he looked down he saw a glowing orb indented in to ground and around it many hairline cracks were forming.

He realised that he had just stepped within the range of a Demonic _Landmine_, and in that second of hesitation he was caught in the explosion. He felt the Dark Flames coil around him in attempt to consume his body. But in a desperate bid to save himself he released a wave of Reiatsu to blow the fire back far enough for him to escape.

It worked but still the burns were present.

Ichigo knew that he couldn't fight against him like this; the Dreadlord would just wear him down and then finish him off. He needed to get close and kill him before he could get the drop on him, and the only way to do that was to knock him off his pedestal. Ichigo charged forward, his target - the middle pillar that held the Dreadlord up on his little perch. But that didn't dissuade the Demon from attacking, bolts of Fire and Dark Magic flew at Ichigo as he rushed towards the Demon's perch.

* * *

Below in the courtyard were four individuals who were watching the battle from afar, shocked still about the revelation that the being they had been working with for the last few hours had been the one to cause the current situation with Dire Maul. Although they held their suspicions about him from the start, they couldn't deny that his power held a dark and powerful force within, but they didn't think that he would have any ties to the Demon other than the wish to end its life.

But now they know that was not true, he was the cause of this entire event. The cause of this Demonic invasion and the deaths of two warriors of the Horde that would never truly be replaced was him.

Hawnia's and Uruk's deaths were on his head.

Although they were spectators to the fight above they were not just watching, they were fighting themselves. When Ichigo had charged off the Demons and Ogres around them converged around and a massive brawl had taken place. Trapped between two opposing forces, they had no choice but to try and defend themselves against them.

Turok hacked off limbs with his new sword, Shikil'hi smashed in skulls and burnt enemies alive, and Rai did what he did best, slash and stab everything within a meter of him.

But even though they were in the middle of a massive brawl they would wonder to themselves. Would they be willing to go up there and help him? He was responsible for that Demon being here and he would have to be punished for it. But still with the time they had to think about the boy.

They could see that aside from his abilities and suspicious nature, he was more good hearted then the lot of them. Even though he was responsible for their deaths he defended Hawnia and Uruk. Saying that comrades should never disregard one another, they all knew what he meant by it. They should honor them and remember them for who they were and what they died for. Doing what was right in their mind, not what was wrong in their perceptions.

As much as there was conflict around them, there was also conflict within whether to help him or not. Turok could understand each of the people around.

Rai would likely help him to see what the deal was about the man.

Shikil'hi would probably watch from the sidelines and wait till the last possible moment. Whether the Demon won and then she would jump in a kill it or she would subdue the boy after the battle and question him on his identity.

He would be the same as her, he would wait from the sideline for the perfect chance to strike and then if the boy proved to be a threat he would end him in one bullet.

He thought about the young Night Elf girl. She was obviously more trusting of him, but not because he was human or possibly part of the Alliance. There was something more between them than just acquaintances.

Lovers?

Possibly.

Friends?

_More_ likely.

Saviour?

That sounded the most definite.

He turned too looked to the Night Elf, and when he looked towards Shikil'hi he only saw her. He glanced around quickly and couldn't find her. _Where_ the hell was she?

"Damn it!" He heard Shikil'hi yell. He turned to see her trying to run towards the stage, but a Fel Guard halted her progress. It slashed at her with its blade before she blocked it with her shield and then shoved her mace into the Demon's face. "Girl! Get back here now!"

Turok turned to see the girl rushing through the crowd, blowing enemies out of the way with an occasional Moonfire or dodging their attacks all together. He cursed under his breath when he saw this. He would likely have to save her now.

He raised his crudely made sword to block the strike from an Ogre. He tossed it aside before cutting its throat open and then pushing towards the stage. Behind him Shikil'hi and Rai followed; carving their way through demon and ogre alike to save that damn foolish girl before she kills herself.

* * *

Ichigo cut through the pillar with ease, its slid along the now smoothly cut surface and brought down the slab it held up. The Dreadlord leapt from the perch and then glided down to the centre of the stage. Now that his enemy was on the ground Ichigo rushed forward. But as he did the Dreadlord twisted around and send a wave of dark energy at the Substitute. Having no time to dodge or even acknowledge that the attack looked like it was composed of shadow-like locusts; the Substitute braced himself for impact.

Ichigo was struck by the attack, and although it was nothing more than a breeze over his bare skin, the foul energies did more than just that. He felt something twisted and malicious work its way through his body and tearing it apart. Like there were little bugs crawling under his skin and in his muscles. He fell to his knees panting and groaning in pain as the Shadow Magic paralysed him with pain. He could feel the Dark Magic working its way through his veins and muscles.

It was _truly_ agonizing.

"You are lucky." Said Hel'nurath; he gripped the hair at the top of Ichigo's head and pulled it back to look him in the eyes. "I was planning on ripping you apart, but now, I will take back to the Twisted Nether."

Ichigo could only grimace as the pain continued to work its way through his body. He couldn't even speak or even move a muscle, as much as the pain was agonizing it was also debilitating, meant to torture its victim without them having the strength to move.

"I will keep you as a pet and when I find your world, I will rip it apart before your eyes! I will make you watch as I burn down your home and bath in your family's blood!" He grinned madly at Ichigo, whose scowl of pain turned into one of anger.

He felt his fists work to ball themselves together...

He felt his anger start to manifest and a dark voice in the back of his mind _roared_ for release.

"How fun it will be to watch as you break under the pressure..." Sneered Hel'nurath; a sadistic smile creeping its way onto his face at the thought.

Ichigo could feel his anger swelling and the pain subsiding.

He felt his power rising through and over it.

He felt something forcing its way to the surface and countering the Dark Magic that coursed through him, he just needed time and then he would butcher this demon bastard.

Before anymore could be said the Dreadlord was knocked away from the boy by a bolt of energy. The Dreadlord was knocked off his knee and flat on his face. Ichigo could only look on in surprise before it turned to shock.

Standing near the edge of the stage was Adelina, her hands extended forward and brimming with energy. She had a scowl of concentration as she sent another blast at the Demon, knocking it back towards the ground as he tried to rise. She drew close and continued to assault.

Ichigo struggled to find voice to his thoughts. He wanted to tell her to run and get back. He couldn't let her get killed! She was his responsibility; he couldn't let her do this! He was meant to protect them, he couldn't let them die!

He struggled as he saw her standing nearly in front of him, sending another ball of Moonfire at the Demon that was now fighting to get to his feet. But he could tell that the excursion was not doing her any favours. She was using all her strength in the attacks.

She sent another bolt towards the Dreadlord as it reached to its knees, knocking it into a daze and her to the brink. She was keeling forward and looked like she was about pass out, and in that moment when she halted her attack was when the Dreadlord struck.

Ichigo watched in muted shock at the Demon's claws stabbed through Adelina's shoulder and out her back. She didn't scream or cry out in pain, she simply looked at the wound with the same shock that consumed Ichigo.

There was silence all around as all Ichigo could do was watch in horror as blood dripped from between the Demon's claws and the holes through her shoulder.

This couldn't be happening...

This couldn't be happening!

She turned her gaze towards him and in that short moment she looked into his eyes, she felt guilty. Because she has been nothing but a burden and every time she had tried to do something she had always failed. And now this would be her final mistake.

She composed herself for only a second in order to say something, something that shocked Ichigo even more than the attack she took to her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, for being a burden." She smiled weakly before she was tossed violently aside by Hel'nurath.

She landed near the far end of the stage, still in view of Ichigo and it was only then that she started to cry.

Ichigo could hear her pained sobs and he watched in shock. The Dreadlord loomed over him for a moment. He looked down at Ichigo with a scowl before it changed to a sick grin, and then the demon turned away and walked toward Adelina.

Fear gripped him tightly, he struggled to move, he struggled to try and lift himself from the ground and fight and yet right now he couldn't even do that. He tried to crawl but his arms and legs could barely flex themselves.

"I think I will start with the little one here." Said Hel'nurath; as he slowly advanced towards the whimpering Adelina. Ichigo could barely look up to see him only a few feet from her. "I want to see what happens when I kill her right front of you"

"Don't… touch… her..." Gritted out Ichigo, making another futile attempt to move, but still he couldn't.

"I can only imagine how painful it would be to see someone die in front of you..." Said Hel'nurath in a demeaning tone. He circled around Adelina's whimpering form. "I can only imagine how quickly I can break you if I kill all your family..."

"Don't!" Ichigo cried, desperation thick in his tone, but this forced the Dreadlord to continue on.

"Come now, look up, don't you want to look in her eyes as she _dies_?" Laughed Hel'nurath.

Ichigo gritted his teeth and struggled all the harder to move.

_'Move damn you! Move!'_ He screamed in his mind, willing himself to move forward.

"Maybe if I dangle her head in front of you, I will get the reaction regardless." Said Hel'nurath.

He looked down at the girl and with a dark smile on his lips he reached down toward her pretty little head.

But as his hand drew close he was saw a shadow pass over him. Looking to his left he saw that Troll swordsman attack, his Rapier moving to pierce his skull. Hel'nurath raised his claw and grabbed the weapon and then tossed it and the weapons owner over his shoulder and away. But as he did this he felt something strike him in the back. He looked down to see a neat hole going through his left breast.

He had been shot.

Looking around he saw the damn Tauren. On the Far side of the stage with the gun now back in his hands and aiming right at him! Why was it that everyone was ruining his fun?

Hel'nurath raised his hand to turn the damn bull to ash, but before he could, he was knocked off his feet by two ethereal _Wolves_, they clawed and bit at his arms and chest, blood and flesh was rent asunder as he struggled to remove them.

* * *

Shikil'hi moved to the young Night Elf's side to try to help her. The wound on her shoulder wasn't life threatening but the girl obviously had a very low threshold to pain than them. But before she could even begin to chant a healing spell, a blur of blue shot past Shikil'hi and she saw one of her Spirit Wolf's collide with the pillar and dissolve into mist. Then she saw the other disperse as it was throw off and into the stone floor.

* * *

The Dreadlord got back onto its feet and looked at the damn Troll that set its dogs on him. He raised his arm and from a Shadow Bolt that shot out and struck her in the chest. Shikil'hi was thrown off her feet and near the edge of the stage.

Shikil'hi was still awake and groaning in agony as the Shadow Magic ate away at her from within.

Hel'nurath would have struck again, but when he felt something piercing through his back and emerging out from his stomach he knew he had other fish to fry.

Turning, he found the Troll had stabbed his Sword-Breaker through his back. Gripping the Troll by the head he tossed him at the Tauren, but he amply dodged his comrade and fired again, this time it passed through his shoulder.

With a growl he watched as the Troll behind the Tauren get back to his feet quickly and tried to resume their attack, but with a wave of his hand a wall of darkness shot towards the Hunter and Rogue.

Like the human boy they were rendered immobile with unimaginable pain. They fell to their knees and struggled to fight through the agony. They were now at the Demon's mercy, and from what they all knew they were hoping it would be quick rather than slow and painful.

"I cannot believe that the Legion failed to conquer this world..." Said Hel'nurath, staggering to his feet and moving around, the wounds he had sustained were starting to catch up to him.

He was bloody and badly beaten; the group had given him a hard fight. He reached around his back and pulled free the Sword-Breaker and tossed the bloody sword aside.

"Ten thousand Years, it took them ten thousand years to plan out the second invasion." He continued, a small amount of blood drooling from his mouth as he spoke. Moving toward them with slow steps, he was in no hurry, they were as good as dead. "And this is the result! Our forces are scattered across this planet with nothing more to show than a few corrupted ruins and dens of evil! Pathetic" He stood over the prone form of Adelina, looking down at her with a sneer. "Your kind is to blamefor this! You have stood in our way on both occasions and sealed our fate in equal measure." He reached down towards her and planned on ripping the girl's head from her shoulders. "And the only thing I can do now to bring some satisfaction is to rip your head off and show it to that human boy."

As he was about to touch her though the pressure in the air rose drastically. Everyone could feel gravity press down on their shoulders and a wave of dark energy could be felt. They wanted to shudder at the dark feeling it gave them when they felt it, malicious, murderous, so full of anger and despair that they barely could feel their own emotions. Everyone had felt the pressure before but not with such dark intent behind it.

All their eyes moved onto the only person they knew who could possess such power, the young human who was on his knees with his head downcast.

Slowly he rose to his feet and the pressure continued to rise. As he stood there they could see at his feet black energy coil around him. Hel'nurath looked on in surprise as the boy had somehow overcome the Carrion Swarm. It should have immobilized him completely, but that was not what shocked him the most. When Ichigo raised his head everyone's eyes widened at what was on his face.

Covering his face completely was a mask composed of solid bone. It looked like a human skull with red tribal tattoos painted on the left side, but the most startling thing about it was his eyes. They had changed color. No longer white and brown, but black and gold, and carried a sense of a dark being that resided within the boy. Something completely inhuman and monstrous.

"What… are you?" Breather Hel'nurath, shocked by the boy's power that appeared along with this unknown mask.

If he didn't know any better he would think he was standing before another Demon.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki..." His voice has changed, carrying a hollow emotionless tone that carried anguish and madness. It had become a distortion between two different speakers, one Ichigo and the other is someone else. "...and I am a Shinigami."

In an instant he charged forward at almost blinding speeds. Only Turok, Rai and Hel'nurath could actually keep pace with his movements and that was just barely.

Ichigo swung Zangetsu at the Dreadlord who could only raise his hand to just prevent the blow from cleaving him in two. But the blade still sunk deep into his chest, the force behind it so great it knocked the limb far enough out of the way to still cut him.

* * *

Hel'nurath pushed the blade away and then was forced to block from above as it moved down to cut him in half once more.

Both claws moved to block the attack but that didn't stop it from digging into the Demon's shoulder and forcing him to his knees.

This was impossible, how a human could become so powerful by putting on a mask?! What the hell was he?

Before he could think more on the subject the blade was forcefully ripped from the Dreadlord's grip and his shoulder. Ichigo pulled his Zanpakutō back and swung it hard at the Demon.

He raised both his claws and turned to the blade to catch the attack. But it served to save him a quick death and to be thrown back. Hel'nurath was thrown from the ground and towards the far side of the stage. He landed hard on the stone floor and struggled to stand, the wound he had suffered beforehand were now coming at him in full force, no longer having the energy to keep fighting any longer.

He sat up to see the human advancing on him. He called himself a Shinigami... What was that? Some sort of a creature from that Emerald Dream place those Druids frolic in? Was he some sort of Demon?

"Impossible… you cannot beat me!" Roared Hel'nurath; trying to rise to his feet and strike.

But in an instant he halted. The boy was in front of him and he was looking into those dark golden irises that burnt with anger and rage.

Looking down he saw the boy's sword had pierced his chest and ran through his heart. He would think nothing of this more than a simple hindrance to him. He would return to the Twisted Nether in time and be _reborn_, but he felt something was _amiss_.

He could feel this blade had done more than just destroy his body. He felt it deep within, this blade had done more, it had cut his spirit. He could feel himself drifting away, he was dying. He was actually dying! He couldn't believe it to be true! The damn boy had actually killed him. He had a weapon that could kill him all along!

A Reaper of Souls indeed...

Falling to his knees his last sight before he died was the mask on the boy's face begin to crack.

* * *

Ichigo watched as the Demon's body began to disintegrate into nothing. Soon its entire form turned to dust and all that remained was the last piece of its armour that covered its legs and wrists. He let out a hallowed breath as he felt the last of his Hollow Mask fall away from his face, and then he felt the wind rushing past his face as he fell to the side. His strength sapped from the use of the Mask.

He felt himself hit the ground and for what might have been the hundredth time today he was rendered unconscious. He didn't feel anything and was consumed by darkness of sleep and exhaustion.

* * *

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

* * *

"How much longer d'you think he's gonna be out for?" Ichigo heard someone say, carrying the distinct accent that he knew belonged to a Troll.

And he recognized the male voice of Rai as he felt his body return to the world of the waking.

"Don't know, whateva' dat mask was really took a lot out of him." Came another voice, female, and carried a similar accent to the male...

Shikil'hi.

"Well, let's hope he wakes up soon, there are still hostiles here that I really don't want to deal with at the moment." Said Rai.

Ichigo felt his eyes open and he was staring at the cloudy afternoon sky of Feralas. He could see they were starting to darken; it would likely be raining soon.

"I hope Ichigo won't be mad..." The timid voice of Adelina reached his ears.

As much as he was be mad at her for recklessly charging in against the Dreadlord he was happy she was alright.

"Of course he will be mad! You damn idiot, you're lucky that Demon's claw didn't pierce you heart!" Roared out Shikil'hi.

Ichigo groaned as he sat up and it was then they took notice of him. He looked up to see them sitting on a few fallen bits of stone and waiting.

They looked over to Ichigo and saw him stir; rising to their feet they moved to help.

Rai stood over Ichigo and offered a hand, Ichigo took it and he was pulled to his feet. He stumbled a bit as he tried to stand straight, obviously still warn out by the fight and the large drain on his spiritual pressure because he donned the hollow mask. Rai guided him to a slab of stone and sat him down. Ichigo took in a breath and then he heard a thump and around him he saw two totems, one glowing green and the other blue. He looked up to see Shikil'hi lowering her hand and placing them back on her lap. He then turned to see Rai staring at him along with Turok.

Although they didn't carry the same hostility as before he could tell that they wanted answers as to what just happened.

"I guess you guys want to know the details, huh?" Said Ichigo. There was a tense silence as they practically _shouted_ in agreement without speaking. "Well first of all, I am a Shinigami."

* * *

The conversation went on for a few minutes, Ichigo giving them the details they needed to know in order to understand _who_ he was, _what_ he was and _what_ he just did. He went on to explain the details of the Shinigami, spiritual beings that travel across the world and find earth bound Spirits and perform Konsō on them to allow them to pass on to the afterlife. They ask a range of questions regarding his abilities and the strange power he wielded.

He gave them a run down on Reiatsu and Reiryoku, telling them what he knew from what Rukia and Kisuke had taught him back home. How it's the power source behind all Shinigami, how it is the potential within their Soul that can determine their level of power. He says he is one of the strongest ones, but states there are others who are much stronger than him.

He also goes into detail about Zangetsu, his Zanpakutō.

When Shikil'hi heard about this she had actually asked for him to hand her his blade. He did so and when she did she went into what he could only think was Jinzen. And when she came back she said that the man was quite the looker.

Now he had to ask _how_ she did that. She told him that she believe that he is similar to Shamans in regards to their duty and purpose, to maintain balance. Whereas Shamans do so from the World of the Living, he does it from the afterlife. She also explained that they can also cleanse Spirits and speak with them on occasion and even _summon_ them. She handed his Zanpakutō back to him and as he did he felt an almost uncomfortable vibe coming from it

_'Please refrain from giving me to others Ichigo, especially by people such as her, she was quite… lewd.'_ He heard Zangetsu speak in his mind when he had him back within his grasp.

But she also says that he carries something _dark_ within his Soul, and that led to him telling them about his Inner Hollow. He gave them a rundown of how he gained his powers an also how he lost and had to regain them. Which led to him containing an Inner Hollow.

He explained that they were also a military force that would combat these Hollows, which were corrupted Spirits and that he was among a handful that possessed one. Shikil'hi asked if he was in danger of being possessed. He reassured her that once you dominate your Inner Hollow you maintain control over it. He defeated it some time ago and that he was not at risk of being taken over.

"That's pretty much it, yeah..." Replied Ichigo.

Finished with his explanation and looking at the group before him for their final comments.

"I am surprised to hear this..." Said Turok, since the explanation he had become to respect the boy. After all Tauren society venerate the Spirits as wise and noble creatures. Although the boy could be wise in some cases, he was mostly temperamental. But the nobility in him shone through based on his actions and his willingness to fight. "I would not think that I would be brought before the presence of a Spirit such as you, a Guardian Spirit if you will."

"We prefer being called _balancers_, after all that is our job." Said Ichigo.

"I can't believe you're _so_ powerful and _Divine_." Murmured Adelina, staring at Ichigo in shock.

She had truly never met anyone who could be such an important part of the world. She had spoken to her Spirit Animals within the Dream before, but never something along the lines as a being that maintained the balance of Souls.

"So you were sent here through a portal?" Asked Rai, clarifying what Ichigo had told them a few minutes ago about how he was brought here and how the Demon was also brought along with him.

"Yeah, some bastard threw me into a portal and I ended up in the Twisted Nether, nearly died, barely survived the three days I was there." Said Ichigo, growling as he thought about that damn Espada. That bastard had better not hurt Orihime or Nel, because if he did he would be as good as dead.

"You're lucky that you landed here than some other world that the Legion has already destroyed." Said Turok.

It was nearly common knowledge to most of the denizens of Azeroth that the Burning Legion has conquered and destroyed many worlds across the Cosmos, and the likelihood of him landing on the only one that could actually say they could stand against them was negligible to almost _zero_.

"Still though, three days, dat's a mighty accomplishment considering dat you were weakened." Said Rai, mighty impressed that the guy actually _could_ survive in such a hell hole.

He hadn't met anyone who has done so before, but still, that was _damn impressive_.

"One, I don't intend to try and do better next time..." Said Ichigo in a deadpanned tone.

He was just hoping that the people could create a doorway from one point to the other without him having to travel through some sort of tunnel and end up having to run for his life.

"How do you intend to return to your world then?" Asked Adelina.

"That's the reason I'm going to Theramore." Stated Ichigo, which made them all realise why he was going there. There was only one real person of interest in Theramore and she knew almost everything about the Arcane.

"You intend to ask Jaina Proudmoore for aid?" Stated Turok, to which Ichigo nodded in affirmative.

It was a good plan, there were only a handful of people in the world who knew as much about the Arcane and also was a kind soul willing to help anyone in trouble, and also had a forwarding address.

"Hey, what happened to all the Demons and Ogres after I passed out?" Asked Ichigo.

"Oh, them? They ran off after the Dreadlord was killed, the Demons with their tails between their legs and Ogres just following to kill them." Said Rai.

"Shouldn't we leave before they come back?" Asked Ichigo.

"Nah, what are the odds they'll be coming back this way?" Said the Rouge.

"Dere dey are!" Shouted an Ogre.

Everyone turned to see a single Ogre standing at the only entrance/exit to the courtyard, and he was pointing right at them.

As soon as those words left his mouth however about forty other Ogres rushed in out of the narrow hallway, all covered in a wide array of armour and wielding many different sorts of weapons and over their blue or pinkish skin was blood, both their own blood and likely a good amount of Demon's. They stood at the far end of the courtyard and waited, while Ichigo and co readied themselves for a fight of a lifetime.

There was a long standoff between the two groups before one of them moved forward and was looking at something at the side of the stage.

Looking down they could see the body of King Gordok lying on the ground, and a few moments later one of them shouted out. His words thick and sounded like something that would come out of a mentally retarded hillbilly.

"Which one kills bat-thingy, that killed bog boss?" Asked the Ogre to another shorter one.

The shorter ogre thought for a moment, which actually looked as if he was standing stock still and frozen in place. Actually they could see a bit of drool hanging from his lips, moving side to side the wind blew it, it was almost like he just had a stroke; this lasted for about a minute before he sucked it back up and finally replied.

"He did." Said Ogre finally, pointing up towards Ichigo, who was a little startled by their sudden and unexpected presumption.

After all, from what he has been told about them they like fighting and nothing is better than fighting something strong.

"Whut you name orange head?" Ichigo scowled at the comment.

He hated it when people made fun of his hair color! Although he would have to keep his cool otherwise he might provoke them into attacking.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." He replied.

The Ogres looked between one another, and there was some incoherent murmuring within the group for a good few minutes before they all stopped and looked at Ichigo, for another full minute, it was both a very boring wait and also an anxious one.

Then, without warning or explanation, the Ogres dropped to their knees and bowed. Everyone was a little taken aback by the Ogre's current actions; they had no idea _what_ they were doing. _Why_ they actually _bowing_ to _them_?

"All hail new King of Gordok!" Said one. "All hail King Itchygo!"

The entire grouped turned on the Substitute with their jaws slack at the Ogre's proclamation. He wasn't fairing any better than the rest of them, being declared King by a group of Ogres was something he did not expect to happen to him. He turned to the rest of them and asked the only question that could at the moment.

"What the hell do I do?"

They couldn't give him an answer.

* * *

**Two Hours Later, the Reliquary.**

* * *

Ichigo and company had returned to the library after the incident with Ichigo becoming King of the Gordunii Ogres.

It was explained to him that most Ogre Clans had certain tribal laws that determined who lead the clan, and it was a simple.

_The strongest leads._

So when he was revealed to be the killer of the previous King's killer he took the title. So _technically_ now he was the King of the Gordunii Clan, and likely one of the most powerful fighting force within Feralas and southern Kalimdor. Luckily he was able to keep a cool head and ordered the Ogres to battle, his orders were to hunt down the Demons and remove them from this city completely.

They charged off without a single word of argument, likely to carry out the King's order and also spread the word of the new King of Gordoc.

As they walked back they had watched as the Ogres cheer for their new King and give him gifts. Mainly pieces of armour and some weapons that they had lying around or scrounged up from the dead. Most of it looked like simple clothing or weapon. But a work from Shikil'hi said that many artifacts from ruins such as these can be enchanted and have magical properties.

He thanks them for the tributes and told them to clean the place up and get rid of all the bodies and bury their dead.

* * *

Now Ichigo was with everyone else scrounging around through the abandoned library for anything of value. Most of what he found was pieces of armour and a few robes he could use to replace his own. In fact, he found one that _nearly_ matched up to his bankai, a set of dark purple robes that was a long sleeved coat that went to the ankles and was buttoned over the chest. Under it was a set of loose fitting robes that were similar to his clothing as he wore before they were damaged. And when he brushed his hands against the fabric he felt a strange tingling sensation run through the tips of his fingers.

Obviously Shikil'hi was right; there _was_ magical energy within these items. He was about to try it on when he tapped on the shoulder by Rai. He was then pulled over towards a large table with an assortment of loot.

Armour, weapon and trinkets littered the table before them, many of different assorted value. Much of it looked like it would be worth quite large amount of money if sold. Ichigo wondered if he should keep some of this stuff; put it up on his wall when he got home or something.

"We will distribute the spoils between us, take what you desire and then we can leave this place." Said Turok.

He turned to see Adelina eying a pair of green and brown leather leggings, a similar pair of leather bracers, a blue leather belt with a large circular buckle and a chest piece of green and brown. She had obviously already picked out her gear. She scooped them all up and rushed off to a room off to the side, obviously very eager to get out of those ragged green robes and into something a little more clean and sturdy.

Ichigo looked down at the assorted pieces and saw a few things he could take. There were a lot of things he could take with him. His bag was big enough and he could also do well with some enchanted gear to keep him protected. He picked up a ring and examined it closely at the silver loop, on it was inscribed several runes that when touched glowed in a golden light. He could also feel something pass from the ring and into him, oddly enough he felt _stronger_.

"An enchanted ring, those are _very_ valuable." Said Rai.

Ichigo looked up and saw him going through some of the weapons, likely to sell them off for money or give them to his cartel. He would likely never part with his two swords unless they were destroyed or lost.

"What does it do?" Asked Ichigo.

"Some are made to increase certain attributes to a person: strength, speed, awareness, some even increases ones mental aptitudes." Said Shikil'hi, taking the ring from Ichigo and examining it, before she handed it back and stated. "This one has a charm that increases the users strength, those runes correspond with those that are meant to empower a user's body. It does by funneling energy into you and making you physically stronger."

"Wow, this stuff is incredible!" Said Ichigo, shocked that such object could _exist_!

True he had seen things in Soul Society that were impressive, but this stuff really took the cake.

"You should suit up and get yourself some protection. Those robes of yours won't keep you safe against some of the more dangerous foes in the world." Said Turok.

Suit up? Did he actually mean get some armour and actually put it on? He was just going to take that coat off that robe and call it a day and maybe he would take the pants but who knows.

"I don't think that would work, it would just weigh me down." Said Ichigo, trying to move off the subject of him getting actual armour.

He could use one or two of these rings and maybe a new sash, but armour? Come on, that _absurd_.

"I wouldn't be too sure. Like dat ring in your hands dey 'ave special properties other dan protection, an' also can be altered due to deir environment." Said Shikil'hi, lifting up a pair of dark maroon gauntlets. He could feel something about them that were different. "For example: dese gauntlets here 'ave been enchanted to improve a person's strength and power, but also I feel violent Arcane energies wid'in. If you were to strike someone with dis you might be able to unleash dem upon your enemies."

Ichigo took the gloves and examined them for a moment. Although they didn't appear much, he knew that using these pieces of equipment could do him a lot of good. But still what good it would do against a Zanpakutō?

"Listen, if you not sure take them with you anyway, better to have them and not need them, rather than the alternative." Said Rai.

Ichigo understood what he was saying and he decided to sort through some of the armour and pick out a few things, Shikil'hi helped in identifying several pieces that could be useful.

He had a chest-piece, shoulder-guards, gauntlets, bracers, leggings, a cape and some boots. But for now he stored them away until he could really test them out. For now he would wear the rings and a few trinkets he had taken an interest it.

He had three rings that would be beneficial and a necklace. The rings were: the same one he examined along with one that was solid gold and had a small orange topaz attached to it, which gave off a similar hue. When he put it on either of his fingers he felt his strength rise. The third ring was a similar, but made of silver and had an aqua colour gem attacked to it. From it radiated a similar energy, when he placed all three on his fingers he felt his strength increase. Nothing like Bankai or using his Mask, but still the increase was noticeable.

The necklace was a simple disk around a silver chain; the pendent was bronze that had intricate etching over the surface that showed off a vertical eye with black wave marking swirling out of it. Its pupil was a black diamond that radiated power.

As he finished placing the assorted pieces of armour into his bag and the rest of the group were doing the same, including Rai who had found himself a nice new belt made from the golden brown hide of some animal and dark purple fingerless gloves with metal straps for the wrists. However on his back was Uruk's axe. He turned too looked at the gaunt form of the Orc Warrior that was lying on the table a few feet from them.

He had been brought back and was going to remain there until they left.

Beside him was the wrapped form of Hawnia who was brought here by Turok about an hour after they arrived back here. He had left to collect her body and wait for them all to leave. He told Ichigo that they were lucky enough to actually collect the dead, sometimes they would be unable to. And other times they were forced to destroy the remains, so that other things did not come to claim it.

Those thoughts haunted him a bit. After all, what could be _that_ bad out there that you would need to resort to burning the bodies of your friends in order to be safe? When he asked the Tauren he simply said: it's hard when they die in front of you, but it's harder when they come back and you have to kill them again. He had an almost unnatural chill run up his spine when he heard that.

There were things in this world that really were starting to scare him. If the dead could walk, than there was no telling what else roamed the land and the deep places of the earth.

"Hey Ichigo! How do I look?"

Ichigo turned to see Adelina standing there posing, her legs spread apart with one hand on her waist and the other on the staff that was extended out to her side, a silver shaft with a blue cloth wrapped grip near the middle of the shaft. It had a small golden pummel and a headpiece, which was shaped like a pentagon but had inwardly curved edges at it, ran up to the top of the tip. On the centre was a deep purple quartz crystal which bathed the headpiece in an emerald glow.

The Druid herself wore some very interesting clothing. From her feet up she wore simple shin high brown leather boots that looked almost to be made of wood. On the shin guard was a belt to tighten it and a metal buckle. She wore long green pants of brown leather straps with green silk, which was held up by a navy blue sash with a green leather strap to adjust to the user's size and a large circular metal buckle to fasten it. Over her body she wore tight fitting leather breastplate that covered her shoulders and arm up to her elbows, it looked bulky but she moved in it with little difficulty. On her wrists were two small brown bracers with green trims. Her hands were covered with tight fitting gloves of brown that had black chevrons along the back. They reached up and covered her arms just above the bracers. And finally clasped on her shoulders was a long cloak that descended down towards her lower back, green in colour with much of the rest of her attire. Aside from the edges that was finely decorated stitching of gold patterns over brown cloth.

All in all she looked like a would-be adventurer who was ready to set off into the world. Ichigo would have laughed at the sheer change she went through when she put on a different set of clothing, he would have been more set on what he was going to wear as well but decided not to.

"You looked like you're ready to set off into the world now." Said Ichigo.

She smiled broadly and beamed at his praise, although she would have liked it if she complimented her appearance, after all she liked it when people said that she was pretty.

"Our business here is done, the Dreadlord is dead and the city is now under the control of the Ogres, and by extension you." Said Turok, gesturing toward Ichigo.

As tantalising as it was to have an army of Ogres under his control he was more tempted to just to get the hell out of here before they came back.

"Do I have to lead them?" Asked Ichigo.

His tone between worry and utter dissatisfaction. He didn't want to be a King of a bunch of _meat heads_. He just wanted to go home, but he was worried that if he left them they would all somehow starve to death or stand around and just die.

"Don't worry, if you leave they will eventually get a new leader, albeit there will be a bit of fighting but still they will survive." Reassured Turok, which did its job because Ichigo visibly relaxed and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Now, what will you do now?"

Ichigo was silent for a minute. He was going to say he was going to go to Theramore but then he remembered something, he still had something he had to do here. Even though it wasn't his responsibility he couldn't leave it without a clear conscious.

"There's something I need to do before I leave."

* * *

**The next day.**

* * *

Ichigo, Adelina, Rai, Shikil'hi and Turok walked out the front gate of Dire Mail. Although their departure could have happened the previous day, they were forced to stay within the city after nightfall had come. The reason for their say was due to Ichigo's request to remain and perform his much needed duty. He had remained behind to cleanse the entire western part of the city of the trapped Souls that remained.

After nearly six hours of hard work he had cleansed the entire section of the city of over two thousands lost Spirits. Ichigo had done more work than any other Shinigami would have done back on his world likely in their entire lives, and more than any of them should do. He had thanked them for staying until his task was done.

They simply told him that they considered it a fair trade for the aid in their mission.

Everyone came to a stop outside and turned to face one another. Ichigo and Adelina stood in front of Turok, Rai and Shikil'hi.

In Turok's arms was the wrapped form of Hawnia and in the hands of an Earth Elemental under the request of Shikil'hi was Uruk. This is where they were to part ways, Turok would back to the Horde encampment to the East and meet up with his fellow tribesman and return to Thunder Bluff with Hawnia.

Shikil'hi would travel to Ogrimmar to lay Uruk to the eternal rest in their homeland and Rai would return to Ratchet and get a ship to Booty Bay and back to his Cartel.

"This is where we part from one another friend." Said Turok, to which Ichigo nodded in agreement.

It was a very interesting experience fighting alongside these people; he could almost say that he considered them friends.

"It was an honour to fight beside you Turok." Said Ichigo with a bow. He then turned towards the two Trolls and said his own goodbyes to them "It was nice meeting you two; I would say that I would hope to meet again but I don't think that would be happening."

"Hey, don't worry about it mon, you did a good ding here, and if you stuck here a little longer then don't worry about it, you might see us again!" Said Rai.

"Maybe." Said Ichigo.

Although he was desperate to return home, but he was also eager to see the rest of this world. After all one could never tell what one could find out there and what adventures they could have.

"May the Earth Mother watch over you, Ichigo Kurosaki, and you too you Adelina." Said Turok, before he turned to walk off into the wilds.

Behind him were Rai and Shikil'hi.

Ichigo turned to the south and decided to find the road and use that rather than walk around through the woods.

"Before you go, a little bit of advice." Said Turok, stopping to speak with them for one last time. "When you travel through Thousand Needles, beware of the roads, the Centaurs are known to ambush caravans and travellers through the area."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine, it's not like we're going to walk into their camp or anything." Said Ichigo, with their partnership complete the two parties separated and went their own separate ways.

"Hey, Ichigo." Asked Adelina.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you have such a funny name?"

* * *

**Reviews:**

**fraiku: Thank you, I try to do my best, fight scenes seem to be where I shine as a writer.**

**RefleR: FINALLY, someone who agrees with me on making a harem that is believable, you rarely see any of those, don't worry if this becomes a harem thing then I wont make it cliche, I will try to make a very subtle thing. If there will be a romance, it will develop over time rather than over a few weeks.**

**Kaldi9: That it is, now here is more of the Awesome!**

**ichko: Glad you like my story and glad to have another review, sadly I didn't see that speech with Kakashi, otherwise I would have tried to rip that off to make mine better. Ichigo with Armageddon, so many people are going to die. sadly I didn't catch the Warhammer weapon you were suggesting. As for the Harem thing, three woman one has to be Sylvanas, wow kinky.**

**Mandalore the Freedom: Thanks man and I received that Idea of your, thanks.**

**Rodmus87: Thank you for the compliment, as for Ichigo, he will be neutral and have allies both in the Horde and Alliance, but due to his status as a human, he will be restricted to only be able to move through Alliance cities and camps. As for class training, the Monk class is a definite, while possibly the Mage and the Shaman, although for two separate reasons, which will be brought up later on in the story, all the other classes I will decided later on.**

**ichko: Cool, actually I was planning on giving him a polearm later on in the story as well as two other weapons, one of which is going to be OC and the other is going to be something very memorable.**

**Guest #1: But when he goes berserk he wasn't exactly in control of himself. As for Ginjo and the Quincy's, he has grown since his time without powers and has learned that sometimes things need to be done. Remember he isn't a killer, killing hollows isn't even murder, it simply cleanses the souls of corrupted and sends them to the afterlife.**

**ZeroAcception: Well, I hope you enjoyed their reactions in this one, as for his Bankai that will be coming along a little later.**

**Apocalyptian Scribe: Hey man, say your latest chapter, glad to see you back on the horse, also like how it went and how they met up, great work, keep it up.**

**Raximus: Sorry, but since this is a dungeon there is bound to be a lot of combat, I try and add only the most relevant of combat situation into the story, and try not to overdo it, but don't worry, after this there will be a lot more plot and character.**

**Chaos-Guard: A bit more Ichigo X Adelina huh, oh don't worry, we'll get to that soon Hehehe, we'll get to that very soon. As for his Bankai it is also due to his spiritual energy, he is having trouble replenishing it, but it is actually because of something other than the world he is in.**

**ultima-owner: Yeah, Alzzin is a real Glutton.**

**plums: I'm sorry to hear that you skipped the chapter, but don't worry, this one is a bit more plot then the last one, combat is still thick in here but there is more plot. Also the next few chapters are more on character and plot development rather than combat, so dont worry there will be more to it than just fighting. But please try to understand that in a dungeon or raid that there is to be a lot of fighting, its like a miniaturize war zone in most cases.**

**Also someone wants you to update Wizard Runemaster, I think he though I was the Author of it, or thought you story was better, either way update it.**

**Leapinglemur: Thank you, also Ichigo meeting Rin could be a laugh, her brothers are there and she decks them for being idiots and trying to set her up on a date. Also I have seen the piece of artwork, looks good, in fact I was thinking of actually commissioning an artist to Draw Ichigo in some warcraft armor or maybe an armor I plan to make for him near the end of this story before he goes back to Earth.**

**Arrankor: Don't worry, there is some interaction and revelations between and after the fight with the dreadlord, and afunny scene as well.**

**Culaio: Sorry for the reppptativeness, there is actually a lot less combat in the next ten chapters and more character and funny scenes trust me on that.**

**I know what you are trying to say about Ichigo being affected by the deaths of those around him, I know Ichigo wants to protect everyone around him, no matter the cost, but I am just showing you that not everyone in this story can be saved by him. As time goes on he will come to learn that sometimes not even the best of intentions will do little, after all in this world, it is usually the cruel and merciless that make themselves in the world and shape it. Garrosh is one of the best examples of that, Varian is the same, he is ruthless and unwavering in his views and ideals. Ichigo will have some rough times ahead of him, but even he knows that if he falls into despair now he will cause only more harm to come. He will be affected but he knows if he just stops and quits they will die because he wasn't there to help. He will grow and with some help, he will learn that sometimes even the best one can offer, is still not enough.**

**Tundrafire: Good words my friend, you know what I might ask you to help me with some philosophical words one day, it could be very helpful.**

**saddas74: Thank you, als don't worry there will be more plot development in the next few chapters, which I have planned out and which are being proof-read as we speak, also United Against the Legion of Flames is back up so take a look and wait for the next few chapters to appear over the next few weeks.**

**gjin19: So it is So-So. Really? I don't remember writing Ichigo like he was afraid of him, more like cautious and surprised, but afraid, didn't know where that came from. Dude, Ichigo just got his ass kicked by Nnoitra and more so when he went to the Twisted Nether, he had been hounded for Three days in there, anyone would be tired and exhausted from the exertion of trying to stay alive. Also the Dreadlord isn't a pushover, they are very power and dangerous, they are generals in the Burning Legion, and they are strong because they have to keep the other demons in check.**

**Hollows aren't exactly killed when you cut their head off with a Zanpakuto, they are cleansed and sent to soul society like any other soul or spirit. Also he had no idea what this guy was, he didn't know if he was a spirit of a normal creature or what, and he had no idea where he was, so it is likely that he had reluctance to kill something. After all he is young and killing isn't exactly something he should be accustomed to.**

**The protagonist is weaker because he is drained of his spiritual energy from his fight with Grimmjow and then Nnoitra and then being in the twisted nether and fighting continuously, so he is definitely tired, I don't expect anyone would be very upbeat and strong after having their wrist broken and then tossed into a hell dimension to die.**

**JinzoMask656: Thank you, yeah, but the epicness comes a little later.**

**Aluriea: I will keep up the good work with all the support you people give me.**

**Meech Macho: Thank you, as for his Hollow Mask and Bankai, I see his Hollow Mask as something of a power drain. Think of his power as water inside a cup, at the bottom is hole in which the water drains out, now in his Shikai he releases a small amount of that power as per normal, but it is replenish with rest and refreshment. But the Hollow Mask is like another hole in the cut, it increases the draw on power and increase it uses and makes him stronger and faster. His Bankai is similar, but once it is activated his power still releases his power but since it compresses his power he can maintain it for long periods of time. But still it can be a drain on his reserves, especially if he uses them both, also the reason he is De-powered is due to a certain something I will explain in another chapter.**

**sidestory: Glad you like the fights, sorry for the density of it but this chapter is a little shorter in the fighting. As for learning how to use Thunderfury, I have an idea of how he can get it and also how he can master it and who can teach him, so don't worry, he will get it and also I have a plan on how he could use it to a level beyond just a secondary weapon.**

**Jaina will be still fawning over Arthas because he was her first love and she believe she can somehow redeem him, and also she kind of falls for Kalecgos after the Cataclysm, so the possibility of Ichigo one upping the Aspect of Magic for Jaina's heart might be a fruitless task. Don't want him to become like Kael'Thas and get angry and Kalec for stealing from him.**

**Ichigo will eventually return to Earth and help out, but there will be a slight problem that he will need to fix.**

**Turok isn't a normal hunter, most Tauren don't use guns, also not everyone in the story will be stuck in the generic class type. (Rogues just won't use dagger, Hunter's can defend themselves in hand to hand combat, ect.) Ichigo will interact with a lot of different individuals as he travels.**

**Brann would be an interesting companion from time to time.**

**As for a mount that is still early, working on how they summon the things or if that is just a game mechanic, but still I'll keep your suggestion in mind.**

**Thank you for the review, hope to hear from you again. As for the time between chapter, don't worry I have a few chapters done and will be trying to put them up weekly.**

**Exanime Draco: I am sorry for what happened to your Grandfather, I lost mine as well nearly a year ago, it was hard. You have my condolences. Also I would like to congratulate you on your marriage.**

**As for the story, your suggestion is pretty sound and also would be funny, especially with the arrange-marriage thing, also Ichigo with a Night Elf and a Blood Elf, good that would be excellent, that would be any mans dream. Also for Ichigo returning back with them, I have been thinking about that and I am still wondering if they should go with him as he goes there or meet him after he returns. But I intent to use the most recent expansion as the end point for this story which will be when he returns to Earth to finally deal with Aizen.**

**The next few chapters deal with Ichigo's journey to Theramore and his dealing there, it is going to be gritty and awesome.**

**ZeroRock: He needs some hawt teen sex with two elf girls and a Draenai, YEAH!**

**Guest #2: Possibly, after all they share a very similar culture, but I will have a funny scene for them coming into the fold with the Alliance, very funny.**

** 64: Yeah, I know what you mean, I mean come on Goku should be able to kick Giratina ass easy.**

**Reishin Amara: I have spoken with plum and he has updated the story, I am not the author so stop telling me to update it.**

**ragnar28190: HEY! How dare you! I am not a something, I am a man who is effeminate! SO STOP MAKING FUN OF ME! As for the story, not so much torture as a learning experience for the character.**

**Infinite Freedom: So no Harem, I am thinking along those lines, but maybe two people at most.**

**Guest #3: I will take those into consideration, and as for the Fullbringing Arc and fight, I have something planned for those bastard, Oh they like the law of the jungle huh, well its kill or be killed, and if they can't handle that, then their gonna all die.**

**Guest #4: As for Ichigo learning about his Inner Hollows true purpose, I will try to integrate them into the story as it develops and try my best to make it real.**


	10. Chapter 09: Getting to know You

**Hello everybody, great to see you, been a while hasn't it, wait, no it hasn't, it's only been a week and yet I have posted another for you to read, didn't expect that now did you. LOL**

**Anyway I would like to thank my good friend and Beta-Reader Zaralann for getting this done nice and quick after the previous chapter was posted for you all to read. If there are any Readers of United Against the Legion of Flame, I will be posting that chapter along with this one as well, so don't worry, go check it out after you read this.**

**Now as for the Poll on my Profile, I will be leaving it up for another week to allow anyone who missed it to give their votes before I take it down and then I will be posting the results in the next chapter and on my profile and the next chapter after that I will make a new poll for you guys to take a look at. So stay tuned. Also, I have listened to some of your reviews and because of that the next few chapters will be less combat and more story and character development and also a lot of laughs.**

**Also the reviews are at the bottom so forget to look to see what they say.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 09: Getting to know you**

**Thousand Needles**

Thousand Needles is a not what one would expect when they first set their eyes upon it and walk through its wide and very long canyon.

The land is all but a desert; the area is littered with many spires of stone and boulder that almost defied gravity and rise high into the sky. Hundreds litter the flat landscape and make it appear to be a forest of stone trees. Some even create grand pieces of natural art, balancing stone the size of a bus upon narrow pieces of rock no bigger than a normal human fist. One would think such a thing is impossible but yet it lay before any who look upon it. As if nature itself was trying to one up those who thought differently, and for those who dwell upon the canyons surface; that even in such bleak terrain it can be beautiful and wondrously astounding to the eyes.

But aside from these small displays of gravelly artwork there was little else in this land of stone spires. There was no green in sight for little could grow in these barren lands aside from a few resilient plants and moss that would cling to rocks and desperately drink any moisture it could to survive. But the lack of water did little to dissuade the local animal life from thriving in such a harsh wilderness. Nearly the entire animal population within the canyon is carnivorous, relying on other animals to survive. But even those that hunt their pray can still be brought down by it. Lions, Hyenas, Wyverns, Scorpids, and Wind Serpents make this place their home, but there are others that reside here, not native to these part but still just as deadly as the animals that do make it their home.

Harpies were bird-like humanoid females that dwell in large nests in the cliffs and on the large vertical mountains that litter the desolate flats, shaped like woman but with the features of bird these creatures prey upon any morsel that moved to close to their nests. They are either killed on sight or captured for either to be food or as mates to produce new offspring.

Or possibly _both_ at one point to another.

The Grimtotem Tauren make this place their home, their ancient and somewhat aggressive Clan has lived in these lands for generations dating back millennia, defending it from any oppressor that may try to enter it without their permission. _Including_ the Horde and the other Tauren Tribes, from the pinnacle of the massive mountains that dominate the floor of the canyon they make their homes, safe from the animals that dwell below and the final native race that makes this place their home.

There were the Centaurs, a race of half-humanoid, half-horse creatures that had migrated to the Canyon to colonise the area for themselves. They are a war-like species that roam the flats in small Warbands that fight with other Centaur Tribes and any other forces they come across. They offer no mercy on any who come within their territory or move close to their camps and they certainly do not take any prisoners who dare believe they can enter their camp and not expect to be punished for their actions.

Ichigo was annoyed right now.

Although one would think him travelling through a blistering canyon with vultures hanging over his head waiting for him to expire and devour his sunburnt corpse was the reason, but that _wasn't_ what was causing him irritation. The heat was of little concern to the Shinigami, thought it was hot and the risk of sun burn was another factor, but the weather was _not_ what was causing Ichigo his current grief and irritation.

For his irritation lay with _two_ different things.

The _first_ was with the local wildlife. More specifically an animal that was previously locked in a caged and appeared to be starved, and the fact that his travelling companion decided that they should free it for both her beliefs that all animals should be free and because it looked so sad. Although, he didn't mind that she tried, but the fact that the cage was located in the middle of a camp populated with large animalistic and likely cannibalistic half-human half-horsed people didn't seem to register to her.

Or the warning he kept trying to drill into her skull that it was a _bad_ idea.

Nor the fact that the animal she was trying to save was one of the largestpanthers the young substitute had ever seen in his life_,_ that nearly equalled Ichigo in high and the only reason its eyes were shinning at the young druids approach was because it was hoping she would let it out so it could her and then him!

Before Ichigo could stop Adelina from making a huge mistake, she opened the cage...

And all hell broke loose within the camp, which resulted in a small brawl with the Centaurs, a few cuts and bruises before they were able to escape.

Which now leads to the _second_ reason for his foul mood, they were currently running for their lives as a pack of Centaur-marauders chased after them, ready to flay their skin and make it into a nice carpet for their huts.

Ichigo and Adelina were _very_ lucky that they both were fast enough to actually _out-run_ them on _foot_. He was surprised they couldn't catch up considering they were part horse, but still that did little to alleviate Ichigo's mind about being chased around by things he thought up to a three weeks ago were a _myth_!

"You just had to free that Panther, didn't you?!" He shouted at the Night Elf beside him.

Who for her part actually looked quite offended by his words.

"How could I leave that poor thing in a cage like that?" She shouted back at him, while jumping over a small boulder in her way. "It goes against everything I believe in about the rights for animals to live free!"

"Are you shitting me?!" Ichigo yelled, completely shocked that this girl could be so thick headed to think that a hungry panther wouldn't jump at the chance to eat him and her as soon as they let it out of the cage. "That thing tried to kill you the moment it laid eyes on you and you would be dead right now if I didn't kill it!"

"Stop yelling at me!" She whined as another hail of spears whizzed past them.

Ichigo ducked to the side as one moved a little too close for comfort.

He could hear the marauders yelling behind them and speaking in some sort of savage tongue that he didn't understand. He just wished that something went right for once without him having to fight his way out of it or being forced to run for his life.

* * *

**Five Minutes Later.**

Ichigo and Adelina were hiding between a small opening between two large stone columns that supported a single large boulder above. They were lucky enough to get far enough ahead of their pursuers that they could duck in somewhere and hide. As great as it was getting away from the local Centaurs, the shade was even better.

Ichigo leaned against the cool stone and rested. Although he has only been here for two days, this place has officially become his most hated spot he has ever had the misfortune of travelling through. Although, Feralas was humid as well as hot it was not as hot as this place! Thousand Needles was a dry place with hot climate, which was a lot better than Feralas but still the heat was much more intense and also the dust didn't help.

He heard some guttural shouting from the well-travelled road and slowly he moved off to the arch between the two columns that acted as the only entry into their little hideaway and saw the marauders searching for them below. He noticed about a dozen of them, most of which were males and a few females that hid their faces behind veils. He wondered if they were just as _ugly_ as the males. He didn't dwell on that for long before he pushed the whole thing aside and himself back into his hiding spot.

The Centaurs were fanning out and going off in several random directions. Ichigo didn't want to risk them finding him and Adelina in a place where they couldn't defend themselves properly, but right now they had to stay put and hopefully wait them out and continue on their little hike through the Thousand Needles.

Ichigo moved deeper into the opening and sat down in the cool shade opposite Adelina. She was panting and taking a very greedy gulp of water. Ichigo let her have it, but he was starting to get worried that they may not have enough food and water to last the trip. He had maybe a week's worth of food left, and by the time they reached Dustwallow Marsh they would be out of food and water. Even sooner at the rate they were going through the water.

He didn't think Shandris would have thought he would pick up any straggler on his way. Although this one was more of a _stalker_ rather than a person he decided to help out of the goodness of his heart, but still that didn't change the fact that they may die of starvation and thirst before they get to Theramore.

He could see that she wasn't one for travel and from the looks of it she wasn't one who enjoyed getting out into the sun much. He couldn't blame her however, this place was a desert and one wouldn't usually take a trip through a desert for an evening stroll.

"Looks like we're going to be stuck here for a while." Said Ichigo, to which she smiled and leaned against the rock and rested.

This went on for another ten minutes.

Although the silence was welcome and the fact they couldn't hear the Centaurs anymore, there was still uneasiness between the two of them. They didn't like the silence much, and they were more accustomed to being in places with a bit more activity. Even in Ichigo's case that activity did involve him fighting for his life and trading barbs with his enemies. So the silence of this canyon desert wasn't something he was accustomed to with recent events.

Seeing nothing better to do Ichigo asked the only thing he could ask about Adelina.

"So… why don't you tell me about yourself?" He said, to which she looked up and for a moment.

She thought about what she could say.

"My name is Adelina, I am fourteen years old, and my father was Illithar Oakwalker, a Druid of the Wild and Keeper of the Sacred Burrow Dens. My mother was Freja Silentnight, a Ranger Commander of Ashenvale." She said.

When she mentioned her parents Ichigo picked up on how she spoke of them. She only knew their names and their occupations as well as the low and solemn tone that accompanied her words with the mere mention of them.

He knew that tone very well. He was also like that... In fact he still is.

She had lost her parents when she was very young and the only thing she could know about them was from the small amount of time she spent with them. The pain and sorrow he felt from his own mother's passing weigh heavy on his heart. He still blames himself for that day and as much as it was that _damn_ Hollow's fault he couldn't just say it was Grand Fisher's doing, for he played into it and allowed his mother to die.

"Listen, if you don't want to…" Started Ichigo.

He didn't want her to bring up bad memories; they can be just as bad as at the time it happened.

"No" Said Adelina, effectively cutting him off. "I think I should tell you. I know your story, you should know mine."

She got comfortable and thought about where she could start her tale. She didn't have much to tell Ichigo about herself, as she was just a simple Druid, but she knew much about her parents and their pasts and she even knew how they met one another.

But she realised that Ichigo isn't even from this world, so that means she might have to explain a little more detail on some things, and she knew the only place to start was from the very beginning.

"I guess we need to go back a bit, back to after the destruction of the Well of Eternity…" Said Adelina and began her tale.

* * *

_Ten Thousand years ago, the world was much different than it is now. The lands were not separated by a great sea; they were once whole and teaming with life. The entire world was covered in verdant forests and many beautiful creatures roamed through it. The world was in its prime, there was no war or destruction, the lands had no deserts or blighted landscapes to speak of. _

_It was truly a perfect world. _

_One that was ruled by a perfect society. Presiding over Azeroth was an empire built by a single race - the Kaldorie. They were the first and the greatest wielders of Magic in the entire world, putting the craft to use with unmatched brilliance and inspiration that could never truly be surpassed. _

_Huge glorifying cities were built across the world to flaunt their greatness to the lessor races that toiled in the mud beneath them, to show how high above the other races they were. _

_Even the Empires of the Trolls could not compare to the scale and brilliance of the Children of the Moon. At the heart of their empire, and the source of their magical power and brilliance, which brought them and kept them above all others, was the Well of Eternity._

_A massive pool that contained all the magical energies of the world, a__ nexus__ for all the magical lay-lines that spread across the entirety of Azeroth. It was the very__ heart__ of Azeroth itself. With it their power grew and became the envy of all others. With their magical abilities they performed feats no mortal or even immortal magister could hope to accomplish without the aid of the magical energies of the Well. _

_Among them were some of the greatest magi the world has even known, they were known as the Highborne. The ruling caste of the Night Elf's society and the most privileged among Night Elf's who could use the powers of the well directly. With this power they ruled over the entire empire with their queen and were awed by both the lower chaste of their race and any other who looked upon them. _

_They were the greatest of the Night Elves, but also the most arrogant, for they flaunted themselves with expensive robes and their authoritarian attitudes over their own kind made them almost a separate species within their own race. They looked down even on their own people and saw them as low bred and unworthy of being in the presence of the Well from which they draw their power._

_The Highborne's arrogance and lust for power led them down a path that would lead to only destruction and ruin, for all their reckless use of power and magic they acted as a beacon to the__ dark__ things that lurked within the Twisted Nether. Soon they had brought themselves under the attention of the Burning Legion and its dark Demon Master, Sargeras the Dark Titan. _

_The Highborne fell under the sway of Sargeras, with the thoughts of greater power and riches drove them to serve under the Dark Master of the Legion in hopes of being spared from his wrath and to elevate them to level never thought possible._

_Soon Night Elf's society was separated. An empire that once spanned the entire world had splintered into two groups and a massive civil war broke out between those who opposed the Legion and those who had sided with the Demons. This conflict that would both decide the fate of the world and the future of the Night Elves as well as every other race on Azeroth was known by one name: The War of the Ancients. _

_This war brought forth many powers that strived to take dominance over the Well and use it to bring forth the end of the war once and for all. _

_Among them were the powerful Demi-Gods who ruled over the wilds. _

_Cenarius the Forest Lord, a Demi-God of Nature. The Ancients, powerful Demi-Gods that were the embodiment of the very world itself, and the Dragon Aspects, the Five Great Dragons flight that were empowered by the Titans themselves during the shaping of the world to safe guard the future of Azeroth._

_With these forces at the head they battled their way across the land and fought to bring an end to the Demon's incursion and close the Well before the Demon Lord could step through into this world. After many battles and much loss they had succeeded. _

_But the price of such a victory was much higher than any of them could have suspected, for the battle to be brought to an end, the Well had to be destroyed. But its destruction heralded a calamity that forever changed the face of Azeroth. _

_The destruction of the Well of Eternity causes a massive cataclysmic event that shattered the world, breaking apart the massive continent apart and giving birth to three separate lands. The entire world was reshaped from the great sundering, Lands that were once fertile were no longer so, lands that once teemed with life were inhospitable, and the once proud race that ruled over it were left with nothing._

_All that remained of Kaldorie's society were those who survived the Sundering and all they had left was their grief and sorrow. The Night Elves withdrew to the ancestral forests of Ashenvale and isolated their culture from the rest of Azeroth. They cast off their previous stubborn ways of Magic and vowed never to delve into the art ever again lest the Legion take notice of them. _

_But still they could not simply give up on a life style that had shaped them for many millennia. It was from this that they took up a new art. Free from the grip of magical addiction, free from the prying eyes of the Legion and able to make up for the damage that had been caused to the world because of their hubris. _

_And thus the First Druids were born, instructed in the ways of druidism by the Demi-God Cenarius as well as his first student Malfurion Stormrage. They were given powers over nature to preserve balance within the world and protect all life that dwell upon this verdant globe. _

_Many men took up this role and became Druids, many sought to master it to its fullest potential while others sought only to master a single art within its teaching, and this bore the sects within the Druidic conclave. _

_But this was not a simple means for them to train, for they may have gained power over nature, they had a duty that took them away from their beloved people and their families, to the realm of the Dream._

_For the sacred task of the Druid was to maintain the balance of the world and repair the damage that had brought it to such lows. The land had been scarred and it needed to be healed and saved before the wounds festered and became permanent. From the Dream they would prevent the destruction wrought by the Shattering take hold and as time went on they would heal the damage that had been done. _

_They would maintain the balance of the world so that it may continue to thrive._

_And for Ten Thousand Years they slept, their spirits roaming the Emerald Dream maintaining the balance and through it the waking realm in which their bodies and their loved ones remained, for ten thousand years they were apart from their families, their friends, their loves. _

_But this was not true for all of them. For several Druids were given the task to remain behind and watched over the Barrow Dens and to protect their fellow kin from any threat that would seek to harm their sleeping forms. They were the Caretakers; they would watch over all the dens and ensure that none would be disturbed. _

_And among them was one Druid known as Illithar Oakwalker._

_He along with a select few would remain in the waking world and journey across the still verdant forests of Mount Hyjal and ensure none of the Burrow Dens had been invaded. He was a steadfast man who performed his duty without question or distraction. There were few times he journeyed into a settlement to see his fellow kin, for he was one who preferred solitude and to be one with nature. _

_There were few times when he would leave the confines of the forests, he would stay with the animals and listen to the winds and the spirits that dwell within._

_He was a master of the druidic arts, taking on the forms of many species of animal that walked the world, including those that honoured the ancients that fell in the war. Even the great Malorne is one of his many patron Spirits in which he can call upon in battle. _

_He was one of the greatest amongst the Druids of the wild; to witness him in combat is to suffer the fury of a raging hurricane. While to observe in meditation is to feel serenity of rustling grasses. But like a great storm he rarely released his power onto the world, for he was merely a man who ensured that his fellow kin remained at peace within the dream, and there were few things that could anger the Druid such as him._

_But one day nearly two centuries ago Illithar was forced to release his fury._

* * *

_For the last ten thousand years Illithar has walked this path through Ashenvale towards the Grove of Cenarius. He has never deviated from his course once in his many strides through the forests, always staying on his course and allowing nothing to hinder his passage. The sacred Dor'Danil Barrow Den was safe and well protected and now he would continue his journey to the others. Soon he would be back in Moonglade and he would have some peace before he would continue on his unrelenting task to protect his fellow kin._

_As he moved away from the sacred Den he heard something in the distance: shouting and cries of pain. He moved closer to the sound. _

_Soon the faint smell of blood caught his senses. He sped up and tried to come closer to the battle that was taking place. He heard two distinct languages being used in the distance: the first was his native tongue – Darnassian – and the second, low and guttural – Zandali – the language of the Trolls. _

_He halted just far enough to see the battle and not be seen by those taking part of it. He could see below a dozen Sentinel Warriors fighting off five times as many Dark Trolls. Steel rung over the land as axes, spears and arrows were being volleyed through the air._

_He watched the display for a few moments. _

_He marvelled as the savage Trolls fought against the skilled and equally vicious Sentinels. Though the Elves were outnumbered five to one that did not halt them in fighting the Trolls off. Three Elves has fallen to the onslaught of the Trolls, but twenty of them lay dead around the archers. But even with their skill they could not hope to hold them at bay for long, they were being worn down by sheer numbers and soon they would fall. _

_Illithar narrowed his eyes at the foul beasts who assailed his people, none would survive his wrath and none would perish while he stood guard and at the ready to defend them. He grasped his staff tightly and strode from the clearing ready to bring the fury of Nature itself down upon them._

* * *

_Freja let loose another arrow, her aim true and her target dead, the metal tipped projectile struck the Dark Troll right between the eyes and traveled through its skull before striking the tree behind it. They were truly foolish beasts to think they can ambush a Sentinel hunting party so easily. Raising her bow once more she took aim and fired the arrow piercing the Troll's hide and heart easily. She didn't give it a second through before her keen sense picked up the sound of something veering towards her. _

_She ducked and was saved from having her head split in two by a small throwing axe. She turned to her assailant and notched another arrow before quickly setting it loose on the one who had tried to kill her._

_As her arrow flew towards her next victim she glanced out of the corner of her eyes. Someone was coming towards her. _

_The troll had a hatchet in hand and was ready to lop off her head. She couldn't turn and strike fast enough, so she reached for her sword. She pulled it out in a reverse grip and halted the Troll's axe, the edge of the Troll's hatchet shattered against the hard steel on the elven weapon. She tossed aside the now simple wooden stick and cut open the Dark Troll's throat. _

_She turned once more to deflect another attack meant to carve her head from her body. Then she twisted the sword in her grip and cut off the Troll's arm, it cried out before taking another swing at her with its other arm. It too was cut off and the only thing he could do was watch as his entire world went spinning as his head departed his shoulder and sailed through the air. _

_Freja reversed the grip on her sword and quickly sheathed it back into its scabbard and drew a new arrow._

_As she let loose another arrow she turned to see one of her Sentinels fall with a spear lodge through her stomach, still alive but not for long with such a serious injury. Around her she could see only five others were still able to fight, three were dead and the rest were wounded. She knew that they would likely meet their end here and although she wished for her fellow warriors to survive, if this was their end they would meet it like warriors. _

_She raised her bow and drew another arrow and aimed towards a particularly large Troll who was charging right for her. She aimed for its skull and would have killed it with a single shot, but before she let her arrow loose the Troll's body was obliterated by a massive explosion of light. _

_The battle halted from the sudden change in pace._

_Freja looked towards the clearing and her face betrayed the true shock that passed across her features, along with all the other warriors that were present. _

_Standing before them was a man cloaked in green and gold robes. Feathers and animal's skins were draped over his shoulders and formed a brilliant cloak and tabard, the symbol of Cenarius adorned the tabard and shone bright gold. In his hand he held a long wooden staff, as it reached the headpiece there were many intricate carvings of animals. And at the pinnacle was the head of a stag with two large antlers that glowed with blue ethereal power._

_"__You dare desecrate these ancient lands with your presence?!" Bellowed the Druid, his voice strong and booming. The entire forest silenced itself so that nothing could hinder his words from reaching the Trolls ears. "I will show you and your kind why you should have stayed in the dark hole your crawled out from!"_

_With a wave of his staff a massive gust of wind shot towards a large group of Dark Trolls. They were blown off their feet and sent head over heels into the distance, colliding with trees and smashing into the stones and roots. He turned towards another and with his bare hand he destroyed the foul beast's body with a ray of pure energy. Seeing the man so easily dispatch their kind the Trolls ran for their lives. _

_They did not get far. _

_In an instant their legs were ensnared beneath them by thorned roots and vines. They tried to hack away at the snakelike plants but they regrew themselves and new one appeared to replace those that were lost. Then the Druid raised his staff into the air, condensing with a brilliant green glow. His words echoing throughout the forest, clear and yet indecipherable to the ears of all around them. _

_And then he slammed it into the ground._

_A wave of energy shot out from the staff and into the forest. Nothing appeared to have occurred but soon the sound of bark snapping and wood grinding alerted them all to the fact that the trees around them were beginning to move. Soon dozens of Treants had appeared and taken life from the simple trees around them. They moved out of the thick tree line and into the clearing with one single purpose on their mind - to remove the foul creatures that have trespassed on their home. _

_The battle turned into an agonising execution as the Treants moved from one target to another and tore them apart. Beaten to a pulp and left for dead was the only way for Trolls, all the while the Druid moved forward towards the sentinels._

* * *

_Illithar stood before the Sentinel Commander; he looked down at her with a serious scowl on his face. Not in anger or irritation but a simple feature that was as normal on his face as a greedy smile was expected on a Goblin's green mug. Illithar turned to regard the wounded warriors on the ground, he saw three has passed on into the embrace of the Moon Goddess and was beyond his aid, but the four others were still alive, albeit barely. _

_Moving around the Sentinel Commander he travelled to the more severely injured one. She had a spear through her stomach and he saw that the life was fading from her quickly. He placed his hand over her chest and slowly funnelled his power into her. He grasped the spear and pulled it free from her stomach. She cried out in pain and her comrade cried in worry, but their cries were stifled when her wound began to close slowly but still noticeably. In less than a minute her wound had fully healed leaving nothing, not even a scar behind._

_He rose and with a wave of his hand he sent a wave of energy at the other Sentinels, their bodies tingled as the Natural Magic rejuvenated them and healed their wounds. Soon the once dying Sentinels were wide awake and ready to continue on fighting. But the fight had ended just a moment ago. _

_Around them were the remains of dozens of Trolls, beaten, torn apart and left to rot under the canopies of Ashenvale, and standing there was the Druid and many Sentinels who were gazing at him in awe._

* * *

_After the battle, Illithar escorted them back to their post to ensure that they will arrive without any incidents and to pick off any more Trolls that may be present in the forest. _

_When he arrived he received many more awed stares from the Sentinels. For one of his kind to be present was something few would see in their long lived lives, and even__ then__ they would likely never see him again. And because of such an occasion a small feast was held in his honour. Although he was more willing to leave and continue on his journey, he felt as if he should humble them and allow himself to remain. _

_For a night he was praised and given respect that reminded him of his past life as a Noble. He felt some bile rise in his throat at the mere__ thought__ of being such a person again. They asked many questions and he rewarded them with tales about his duty and his role in protecting the sacred Barrow Dens._

_Through the night he spoke with the Rangers and told them of his time in the wild. They regaled some of their adventures through the forests and many battles they took part in. _

_During this time Illithar befriended a__ certain__ Sentinel Commander. _

_He was impressed with her, as the night continued on he would speak with her in depth and soon what was a simple meal became a start for a bond of friendship. When the sun rose over Ashenvale and he had to depart from his fellow kind, he was saddened slightly by the fact he would not be able to speak once more with Freja. She was the only person aside from other Druids he had ever spoken to and he didn't wish for them to depart on such a hasty manner._

_As Freja stood at the doorway to the outpost she called out to him._

_"__When will you return through these forests?" Asked Freja. _

_Her words carried a tone of someone who was worried that they would never see another person again._

_For a moment Illithar halted, considering his words. He never thought to return here on his own accord, too focused was he on his duty that he didn't even consider it. But__ now__ maybe he __could__._

_"__In three moons hence I shall return here." Said Illithar; never turning to say it to her directly. _

_But still both he and Freja could feel the small smile that graced his face at the thought of his return on that day._

* * *

_True to his word he returned in three lunar cycles, and he did so every three cycles since. For many years he would always come to the outpost and meet with Freja, and the more he visited the longer he remained before he would depart on his duty. The once reclusive and unemotional Druid became__ something__ else,__ someone__ else. He enjoyed his time with his newest friend as much as he did his companions within the forests. _

_But with every visit he felt__ something__ grow, he felt something__ pulling__ him towards __her__._

_Soon one night nearly two centuries later he returned to the outpost, and for nearly a month he remained. And during that time both Illithar and Freja learnt__ something__ that neither had been willing to admit to one another. _

_They were in love. _

_They both struggled with themselves to admit their feelings for one another. One was bound to an ancient code that would force him away from her, the other was bound by her duty to protect the forests.__ How__ could they hope to share a bond of love when they were__ so__ far apart?_

_But on the last night of their time together before Illithar would return to his task as Caretaker, Freja confessed her feelings towards him. Shocked that she was in love with him and held the same doubts as him, he was both ecstatic and saddened. Ecstatic that the woman he had come to love had returned the same affection as he, but saddened that she knew that their time together would be short and their duties carried them away from one another._

_"__Freja." Said Illithar soothingly, drawing her eyes to his and she saw a warm smile on his face. One of the very few things he would only show to her. "I share your love, I share you sadness but know that no matter how far we are from one another, or how long we may never see each other, I will love you __always__."_

_Under the twilight two lovers expressed their affections for one another and under the stars they consummated it, and from their union was born an unbreakable bond of love._

* * *

_So when Illithar left the next morning he would not know until his next return in four cycles of what their unions had created. And when he did he saw his new love and the life that grew inside her. He did not leave her side for a single moment, staying with her until the child was born. _

_And when she was born it was the__ happiest__ moment in both their lives._

_A beautiful girl was born under the full moon and she was named Adelina. _

_Illithar loved his daughter, but still he knew his duties would force him away and with every season that past would be another that his daughter would be without a father. He tried to hasten his duties as Caretaker and allow more time with his family, but he could only spare himself an extra month to be with them. And even__ then__ he felt sorrow for putting the woman he loved in such conditions and the daughter he wasn't around to raise himself._

_As much as it hurt Illithar and Freja to not be around their daughter as she grew up, they knew that they had their duties to their respective roles. And as time went on Adelina grew and with the time the Ranger and the Druid spent with her, she was raised to be a strong independent woman. At a young age and under her father's tutoring she learnt to basics of Druidism. _

_He always told her she was special and would someday be a great Druid who would do great things, and her mother would teach her the ways of the Night Elves. For eleven years they both raised her in their own ways, and although they wished they could spend more time with their daughter, they always loved the time they__ did__ spend with her._

_But when word reached them of an incursion in southern Ashenvale, Freja and her Sentinels were called upon to enter the region aid in the expulsion of the creatures that were attacking their borders. Freja spoke with Adelina at the entrance of the outpost. She wore gleaming armour and a blue cloak over her shoulder was her bow and on her hip was her sword. She was about to depart and leave her daughter in the hands of her father._

_"__Do not worry Adelina, I will return soon and I can tell you about the wondrous adventure I had." Said Freja, comforting the poor crying girl before her. _

_She never liked it when her mother went off, and when she heard she was going to go off fighting she was even more worried._

_"__Please come back, I'll miss you." Sobbed the young Adelina, hugging her mother tightly. _

_Which was returned and for a good long moment they stayed as such._

_"__Don't worry, I will never leave you." Said Freja. She relased her daughter and looked towards her love. She shared one final embrace and kiss with him before she was forced to leave and her final words to him where this. "Keep her safe."_

_"__I will, my love." He replied. _

_Her hand slipping out of his as she left with the last of the Sentinels towards the southern borders of Ashenvale._

_"__Father, why did mother go?" Asked the young Adelina. _

_Her eyes looking up to her father in worry. She had spent nearly her entire life with her mother and__ without__ her she felt so __alone__. Even with her father she still felt slightly alone. He was a good father and loved her, but he was almost a stranger to her and it was hard for her to even__ think__ of him as a father when he spent__ so__ little time with her._

_"__Your mother has gone to protect our lands." He said kindly to his daughter, smiling at her and patting her head. "Do not worry Adelina, your mother will return soon and everything will be alright."_

_She smiled up at her father. She__ believed__ his words without a single doubt in her mind, she__ believed__ that her mother__ will__ return to her! She would take her up in her arms and they would embrace one another as a mother and daughter should. _

_But in reality, this was but a cruel hope to give a girl so young and innocent._

* * *

_Two weeks later her mother did return to them. _

_But she was no longer alive. _

_Her body had been brought back to Moonglade to be buried. She along with many warriors and their Demi-God and protector Cenarias had fallen to the red skinned Demons of the south. Adelina was there when her mother was brought in. Her body was peacefully laid on a stretcher. _

_She looked serene, like she was just asleep. For so long Adelina thought it was that, that her mother was just__ sleeping__ and that in time she__ will__ wake up._

_"__Wake up, please, wake up..." She said. Standing beside her mother's motionless form, the warriors around her watching with heavy hearts as the daughter had her mother ripped from her life. "Mommy, you have to wake up! You have to wake up!"_

_For many days she continued to chant for mommy to wake up..._

* * *

_She would__ never__ stop calling for her mother,__ never__ stop asking her to wake up and be with her. _

_And when the old hard truth finally reached her so did the gnawing sorrow. For many days she continued to wallow in her misery of losing her mother. Her father could do little to help his daughter and even less to bring her out of the downward spiral that was her grief._

_"Why__? __Why__ did mommy have to __die__?" She sobbed. _

_Her father was sitting beside her bed, never leaving her side for a moment to try and comfort her._

_At those words he was at a loss. Even with__ all__ his training and__ all__ his wisdom that spanned over ten thousand years he held no answer to the small girl that was his flesh and blood. He couldn't even think of anything to say to bring her comfort. He could only look at Adelina with a pained and sorrowful expression to say what he dared no. _

_He didn't know... _

_And her continued spiralling down and soon she no longer had the comforting presence of her father._

_Taken from her to defend the very mountain top from the Demons. _

_The final battle that would decide the fate of the world and all upon it. _

_For what seemed like years Adelina waited for her father to come back. Her tears of pain and worry coming through as she begged for her father to come back, to not leave her alone. _

_Fate is a cruel thing. _

_Her father__ did__ return. _

_But in a similar way her mother did. _

_It was during these moments that she lost her will to fight. She had lost everything she loved and had nothing left to lean on and bring her comfort. No friends to speak with and there was few she could speak with that would understand the true loss she had experienced._

_Soon the war with the Legion was over and now all that was left to do was to mourn the dead, rebuild what was destroyed and in the case of the young Adelina, place her in the care of the only people who could take her. _

_The Druids._

* * *

_She was taken into the secret Druid Conclave within Stonetalon Mountains to be trained under the tutor ledge of the Senior Druids and the Keepers of the Grove. Those who knew of her legacy hoped to preserve it through her. She was the daughter of one of the most respected and best of Druids, she was a prodigy under his short training and they hoped that in time she would become just as great as him and would forge a grand destiny for all Night Elves. _

_But to their disappointment she did not live up their expectations. _

_Her grief held her at bay and prevented her from advancing along the lines as they intended her towards. She was unable to learn even the most basic of teachings without needing large amounts of tutoring and studies. Although, she could grasp the concept and the knowledge her own heart was still torn and unable to put all her effort into manifesting her power. For this she suffered in her training and also in her already dismal life._

_She was shunned by her fellow kin, she was the prime example of what a Druid should aim__ not__ to be. That was even used by some of the teachers to show how far she was from what they expected of a Druid under their teachings. She made no friends within the Conclave and she had only a few teachers that still took the effort to help her become a Druid. But over time they became few and far between and none the less she was always alone._

_For the next four years she trained and only could perform the most basic of spells. What took some Druids months to perform took her__ twice__ as long for her, what took them years to master would take her even longer. Though her mood and personality improved as time went on the damage had been done. _

_The constant ridicule and loneliness had all but killed her spirit. She no longer had the drive to become better or strive to become stronger. Her only talent lie within her ability to heal and restore, but still for someone who has trained as long as she has, her skills were elementary level at __best__. And even if she could heal a wound, she couldn't heal the void that remained in her heart._

* * *

_For most of her stay at the peaks of Stonetalon there was only one who would treat her kindly. Most were heavy-handed with her based on her failures and her inability to master the arts, even those who continued to train her offered her only some sympathy and care. The only one to treat her with some level of respect was Keeper Taldros, one of the Keepers of the Grove that stayed within the Mountains. He was one of Illithar's closest friends and also one of the Keepers of the Grove's students. _

_"__It pains me to see you like this little one." Taldros said to her, his tone strong and booming but yet carried kindness within them. "Your father and mother would not wish you to be like this. __He__ would have wanted you to continue on and forge your own destiny in this world."_

_"__But how?" Adelina asked. As much as she wanted to make her father proud and live up to him she couldn't even do the simplest spell without failing. She had nothing to drive her to do anything, no one to care for her and nurture her into the Druid she wanted to be._

_"__Sometimes you need to find something that will allow you to forge that destiny." Said Taldros. "Sometimes you need to find someone who can share your burden and help you overcome it."_

_Adelina looked up at Keeper Taldros and saw his small smile on his always serious face. Sometimes he did make some sense but even she had doubts about finding anyone who could help shoulder her burdens. She had met nothing but ridicule and scorn from her fellow kind for many years now and she has yet to make a single friend.__ How__ was she meant to shoulder this burden when no one was willing to bear it with her?_

_Maybe she needed to stop thinking so __negatively__? Maybe she should start doing something more __productive__? She could start doing something to help cheer her up and maybe that would help? But__ what__ could she __do__? Well she liked making cloths... __Maybe__ she could set up a stall and make some leather goods for the other Druids? Who knows, she might actually get some respect and maybe some friends out of it!_

* * *

_Sadly it didn't work as well as she hoped it would have. She did get customers but they were far and few between just as the people who still gave a damn about teaching her. And she didn't earn much more respect from any of them. They saw it as her trying to do something to overshadow her previous failures. But she didn't allow them to drown her spirit and she continued both in her new trade and in her duties as a Druid, which was not much considering her limited ability to perform to task._

_They had her scrounging around the mountains looking for plants and bringing them back to the peak._

_She was searching for Bruiseweed to help with the poisonings that was affecting some of the dwellers of the mountains after the local Spider's population exploded, causing many deaths as well as fatal poisonings. She wasn't able to participate in the healing or the cleaning, she wasn't skilled enough to counteract the poison nor was she strong enough to counteract the Spiders. So she was forced to gather herbs for the potions for the sick._

_It was during this time that she stumbled to close to a Chimera dwelling, and because of that it attacked. Being unable to fight off something as powerful as a Chimera she had only one choice left. _

_She ran for dear life. _

_She ran for dear life away from the creature as it chased after her overhead. For several hours she ran, and eventually she lost the beast, but not before she ran right through the charred veil and right into a nest of vicious Harpies. Seeing no other choice she ran for her life once more, and her run brought her the Desolace. Which lived up to its name, as after she lost the Harpies she was alone in the god forsaken__ hell__ for days before she was eventually found._

_But when she realised that the Riders in the distance weren't actually__ riders__ but __Centaur__, she had to run for her life once more. But this time they caught up to her, surrounded and likely was going to kill her. _

_She could only wait for her inevitable end. _

_But her life was saved by the most unlikely of things: a large number of Demons had been waiting in the hills nearby and when they saw a large group of Centaur-marauders nearby they lunged at the chance to take them.__ That__ is exactly what they did. _

_Charging in they waged a small war against one another, which was the only thing that allowed the poor Druid to escape, and she ran without respite for two days before Adelina finally entered Feralas._

_Through the humidity and the dehydration and hunger she was able to continue walking until she arrived at two large colossal mountains. She drank from the pools at their base and continued on with her march. Moving forward rather than go back to that ruins she fought her way through the forest. _

_Not__ literally__ however. _

_Fighting against the mosquitos and the weather she survived, and eventually came to a port on the coast. There she found refuge on a small island stronghold and stayed there. For several days she recuperated in the Inn and tried to get her strength back, and when she was ready she tried to return home._

* * *

_"__What do you mean you can't send me back?" Exclaimed Adelina. _

_She had been in the stronghold for nearly two weeks before she could get a meeting with the stronghold's Commander, Shandris Feathermoon, Supreme Commander of the Sentinel Armies._

_"__I am sorry but there is nothing I can do." Said Shandris. Although her tone was completely neutral so to tell if she was actually sincere in her words or not was impossible to tell. "All the Hippogryphs have been taken back to Ashenvale and the only ones that do come in are used by the couriers."_

_"__So I'm__ stuck__ here? What am I supposed to __do__?" Asked Adelina. _

_There was__ nothing__ she knew of what she could use to get herself back. She had no money or anything she could use to return home._

_"__Alright listen, I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt, as well as cut you a break." Said Shandris, lifting herself up and moving towards the edge of the table. _

_She pulled out a piece of parchment._

_Adelina looked at it, it was a stall lease. Looking up she could see Shandris looking down at her expectantly._

_"__I can't give you a Hippogryph, but I can help you get a ride back to Stonetalon Peak." Shandris said plainly. "This lease will allow you to set up a stall on the island. Every week Hippogryphs come in and drop off supplies, they will be your best bet to getting back home. But you're going to need to pay them for the trouble. So tell me can you do anything to make yourself useful?"_

_"__Well…" Thought the young Druid. _

_She__ did__ have a talent for leather goods._

* * *

_Two months later and she was selling her wares to all the Sentinels in the stronghold. Although she was getting__ some__ money from them it was going to take even longer to get the money needed to get herself out of this humid hell hole._

_"__Just a few more weeks and I can go home…" She said, but stopped when she mentioned it. _

_Home was where someone felt safe and protected. _

_She didn't have anything like that..._

_She didn't have anyone she loved or felt safe with... _

_She had __nothing__. _

_She looked around at the people going about their duty around the fortress, each of them had something. Whether it was to__ fight__ for, to__ live__ for or just__ something__ to do. But she only__ existed__ without purpose in this world. She had__ nothing__ to __live for__,__ nothing__ to __fight for__ and the__ only__ thing she could do was perform a simple task to get back to a place where she served an even__ lesser__ purpose._

_"__Please, I don't want to go on like this." She whispered to herself. _

_Her eyes watering as she struggled to deal with her pain. She wanted only to have a__ purpose__ in life and make her family __proud__, she wanted to have what she __lost..._

_She wanted__ someone__ to help her... _

_Someone__ to protect her... _

_Someone__ to __save__ her._

* * *

**Thousand Needles**

Ichigo looked at Adelina and could see the pain in her eyes.

He knew now _why_ she had followed him.

Although he wouldn't say he was a righteous and good-hearted guy, he did his best to help those who were in need no matter who they were. She was vulnerable and didn't need a teacher or a place to be safe.

She needed a _friend_...

Someone she could lean on for support and protect her from any harm that may come her way.

In a way, he was just like her. Someone who had suffered loss on a scale that no one could possibly measure. The loss of a parent is something that can bring untold misery onto any souls, even someone as strong as him.

Although it wasn't something he did normally, he thought that he could make this one exception to the poor girl in front of him. He got up and walked over to her. She watched him do so with curiosity.

Ichigo sat down next to the young Druid and put a hand over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. Her eyes widened at the sudden closeness he was showing her, but what he said next shocked her even more.

"It's okay; I won't let anyone hurt you again." Said the Shinigami.

Those words shocked Adelina _more_ than she had thought was _possible_! She felt something lift from her chest at the fact that although he may see her as a burden sometimes, he was willing to _be there for her_.

Adelina felt her lip quiver and her eyes begin to water, she closed her eyes quickly and leaned closer to him.

She didn't want to cry, but the simple fact that he would do _something_ such as _this_ and say _something_ such as _that_...

She couldn't help but sob as he held onto her.

They stayed as such for a long while, Ichigo by Adelina's side with his arm around her shoulders and giving her the comfort she needed, while she vented all her pent up emotions she had been holding in for the last four years. Even though he has known her for no more than five days, he couldn't say that she wasn't his friend. She was a good kind-hearted girl who suffered more than she should have. And as long as she was with him, he would make sure nothing hurt her again.

* * *

**Dire Maul**

The Ruins of Eldre'Thalas were in chaos.

The Demons that once inhabited it were now on the run, the Ogres of the northern part of the Ruins left them well enough alone but now they were being hunted down and slaughtered by the Gordunni Ogres.

The same could be said for the Highborne, they have recently been purged from the city as well. The Demons had somehow gathered reinforcements from the Twisted Nether and tried to lay siege on the entire city and take hold of it and use it for a base of operations in order to invade this world once more.

Walking through the front entrance of the ruins was a young gnomish woman, her golden hair tied up in two braids alongside her head and wrapped in fine bindings of emerald and sapphire. Her emerald eyes focusing on the path ahead of her as she scanned for anything or note or anything that was a potential threat. In her left hand was a long silver staff; with a golden headpiece, twice as tall as she was but still nimble and easy to use in her hands.

She walked down the path with little care about the chaos going on around her.

As she continued, three Ogres charged towards her, axes raised and ready to cut her small form into many delicate pieces, but as they drew close she simple looked at them and with an unseen gesture they were halted. Frozen in place by an unseen force and held there. The gnomish woman giggled to herself despite the chaos going on around her.

Even as a member of the Bronze Dragonflight she was still a very charismatic person. She halted when she came to the main square of the ruins of Eldre'Thalas, known as the Broken Commons. She surveyed the scene with some disgust, the bodies of many Ogres and Demons littered the area. _Obviously_ they had been here for many days and even though many were dead the battle was still in full swing.

"This shouldn't have happened..." Said Chronormu, or by her mortal alias Chromie.

Which was right, this battle and slaughter shouldn't have occurred at all.

From what she knew this entire event unfolded outside of the standard time-line. There had been several deviations in the time-line that could affect the outcome of certain Destinies of several individuals, including several that would be passing through these ruins in the next year and a half. But also the Destinies of not only the people who were present in Dire Maul but many others who would have played a role in the far future. Some dead and others were now on different paths because of this shift in the time-line.

This all started with the Demon's arrival in the western part of the city, there was not meant to be a Demonic incursion! This didn't make any sense! They didn't have anything that showed how this could have occurred and little to know what was behind it.

The time-line cannot change itself.

Something else has to play a role in it, but what role could they possibly be hoping for in just bringing a Demonic force into the city?

It wasn't the Legion, they wouldn't know how to alter time any better than altering the shadows on a sun dial.

But she knew that the enemy wasn't behind it.

Their presence she could feel here and also this place didn't play in any significant events for the future aside from a simple attempt to have the Gordunni Ogres join the forces of a cult. But she could feel something in the air that was... different. A latent energy that she wasn't familiar with.

Although it did have some qualities she recognised, but what it was she couldn't exactly put her finger on it. She would need to report back to the Caverns of Time and make sure that these events are catalogued and the events that occurred here are corrected quickly.

Deviations in the time-line are something they cannot allow to occur.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**Zaralann: Of course you are my Beta-Reader, but still thanks.**

**Fraiku: Oh, man if you found that funny then you are going to love what I got in store for you when Ichigo and Adelina get to Theramore. As for his mask, think of it as a massive boost but the expense of drawing out more power. Every soul reaper has a level of power that he releases, when he puts on the mast that increases and therefore drains itself much more quickly than he can recover from and also the mask isn't something that can be used continuously. Based on the information I know.**

**Dragonskyt: Although the boss was a bit weaker than some others, he is still a formidable opponent, also fighting against the King of Gordoc and then Ichigo and the rest of them would be a pain in the ass for anyone, it's harder to fight two normal swordsmen then it is to fight a single highly skilled swordsman.**

**Arrankor: Glad you like my story, to be considered the best makes me proud to be a writer, some hot sex with woman yeah that could happen. :P anyway it will happen, but with who we do not know.**

**Iprefertoread86: Thank you, as for the Lord of Warcraft, I am actually working on that right now, going to see about getting it to you as soon as possible.**

**Soulbow109: Yeah, I couldn't end it without Ichigo becoming the King of Gordok, it just had to happen. Yeah Ichigo with two hot women, any man would be jealous. Arrange marriage, okay I am going to let you in on a little secret, I have an idea where Ichigo is going to be proposed too, but to who, I will not tell. But there is someone out there who wants him to marry her.**

**Mandalore the Freedom: Glad you like it, also Ichigo wouldn't want them to simply kill one another to the last man, he isn't that vindictive or cruel, but he would allow them to take care of themselves, and also this isn't the last time he goes to Dire Maul. ;)**

**Reaper7: As for the strawberry thing, don't worry that will come out one day, and it will be LOLS of fun. Don't worry he will use his Bankai, but only when he desperately needs it.**

**Rodmus87: Yes, he has armour though it is not a set, but later on he will getting an armour set, in fact that could be the next poll.**

**Lemartes: Thank you.**

**Guest #1: Nah, they wouldn't understand anyway.**

**Nick terakidan: Ichigo being an engineer, that could be cool, and making weapons for himself, and a harem only if Sylvanas is in it. God this is going to put me to work. Ichigo with new sword styles, interesting. And here is the next update.**

**ZeroAcception: Don't worry this won't be the last adventure of Turok the Hunter and Shikil'hi the sultry troll and Rai the ladies' man. No it won't. As for the Harem, I am winging it at the moment, but I was thinking along the lines of two or three. I mean come on having like seven woman with you is – god help me the greatest wish any man would have – but unlikely, and also hard to pull off with the way I am making this story.**

**NIX'S WARDEN: Ichigo at full power, at his current level, he could probably take on a full grown Black Dragon ;3 As for the poll I made sure to ass, he gets them all because he is just the epic, true story.**

**Infinite Freedom: My god, a man who doesn't think he should have a massive orgy with seven women, some of the hottest woman in the Warcraft Universe, greatest day ever.**

**Guest #2: You logic is sound, and therefore has found a loophole in my work and therefor it could work.**

**Noble Marriage: Ichigo has no idea he is a noble, and also just because he is the fucking greatest guy to set foot on Kalimdor since Overlord Saurfang, doesn't meet he is gonna get all the girls like Vance 'Mother Fucking' Stubbs.**

**Raximus: A human woman to even it all out huh, that could be fun, so what should her personality be like them. Also Ichigo getting a gauntlet, FUCKING MASSIVE GAUNTLETS AWWWW YEAAAAH!**

**RefleR: I will stay posted on the development with Zangetsu, but for now Ichigo will be sticking with him, whether he discovers Old Man Zangetsu is his real Zanpokuto or not is still up for debate, I'll see about what happens as the story develops.**

**Juggernaut715: No problem, WOOO!**

**Ultima-owner: yeah, thank Zaralann for giving the suggestions and also later on Ichigo will try them on.**

**S.R.457: Don't worry Ichigo will become epic soon enough and then, he's gonna kick some shit up.**

**Araidos26: sorry for not updating sooner, but look only a week later and another chapter, great isn't it? I am going to blame it on the flying spegetti monster, huh, oh sorry wrong person. As for Ichigo appearing solid, I am doing based off his Spiritual Energy, in the Emerald Dream you are as solid and lifelike as you are in the living world, even souls there can be killed. I am basing this off conjecture, but Ichigo is producing his own energy that allows him to be perceived and interacted in such a way, because the spiritual realm of the Emerald Dream is kind of like Soul Society. But when Ichigo goes to Azeroth that energy is solidifying and making him almost physical and solid. That is how I am trying to pull it off, but hey, I can't think of everything.**

**Zerodragon: Well, if you have read the chapter you know that your statement is true.**

**Guest #3: Damn it, your reasoning is perfect; I am now in a bind here.**

**Exanime Draco: uhhhh, I'll send you a PM.**

**Moria: Don't ruin it with Ichigo getting with Adelina, okay, also getting with all those how warcraft woman, damn straight.**

**Yoruichi forever: You never know, Ichigo might come back to the Warcraft world after he is done back on his home world.**

**MagicBlessing: Well, keep tuned you may be very interested to know that there is this one girl I was planning on bringing in. But I won't tell. TROLOLOLOLOL.**

**Guest #4: Everyone needs some love.**

**Majorbenks, mindoris, strongermachina, philospherarc, Guest #5, DarthHank, jameswesker, Guest #6, ericroger, BlessingMan: Thank you for all your praised and love, and I hope to hear from you all again.**

**Saddas74: Twin blades of Azzinoth great, also there is more to Ichigo's journey as he goes to Theramore, Trust me.**

**Well that's a wrap, see you all next time.**


	11. Chapter 10: Enemy of my Enemy is my?

**Hello everybody, hope you have enjoyed your week, I kind of have, been raining a lot, like the rain, it's good. I live in Australia so you know that rain is good in the country that prides itself of being called the sun-burnt country. **

**As some of you already know the poll for the legendary weapon Ichigo should get has closed and is on my profile and down below if you wish to see, I am very surprised by the results, didn't expect that you would have wanted that weapon, although it is only the first poll, and it is likely to be brought up again I can see what you guys want.**

**Anyway here are the results.**

What Legendary Weapon should Ichigo get?

1. A Purified Frostmourne -18 Vote/s

2. Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker - 12 Vote/s

3. All of them - Because he is just that Legendary! - 12 Vote/s

4. Twin Blades of Azzinoth - 10 Vote/s

5. Shadowmourne - 9 Vote/s

6. Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury - 7 Vote/s

7. Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest - 4 Vote/s

8. Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros - 2 Vote/s

9. Fangs of the Father - 1 Vote/s

10. Other - 1 Vote/s

Unique Voters: 76

**Well there you have it; now I may set up a new poll next week, about, let's say it could be about anything. Anyway enjoy the read and be sure to look down below to see the answers to your previous reviews, also can people put a name when they are guest so that I can identify them without calling them Guest #, that way you can find answers to your questions.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 10: Enemy of my Enemy is my...?**

**The Barrens, the Gold Road**

The Barrens was what one would call the hottest place on earth, but in truth it came in a close second place to Tenaris and then just behind Silithus, but that didn't help those unfamiliar with the blasted landscape from suffering under the blistering heat. The majority of the region consists of vast plains, though fauna and plant life exists in the barren lands it is as rare as diamonds and just as valuable to the residents, and also their most closely guarded secrets within the blasted landscape.

For many dry riverbeds and a never-ending spider web of canyons make any journey across the Barrens a dangerous and winding trek, for without knowing the location of any water wells any man who travels through here will likely feed to buzzards that hang overhead. But if they do not succumb to the heat or to dehydration then they are likely to succumb to the inhabitants who make the Barrens their home. Centaur war-bands or Quilboar's raiding parties are as frequent and sparse in the Barrens as any other place in Kalimdor.

The Centaurs rule over the precious Oasis's that are but specks in the vast landscape that is the Barrens. Any adventurer who risks a chance to quench his thirst is likely to fight his way through dozens if not hundreds of Centaurs for a simple drink. But in the end it is likely they would drown in their own blood before they feel the cooling sensation of water drench their dry throats.

Then, there are the Quilboar who have taken near complete control over the Southern Barrens and several key locations in the North. They are an army that is almost without number, like rodents they multiply and are hard to remove effectively. For they have spread further than the Barrens, setting up dens within the homelands of both the Orcs and the Tauren, who struggle to remove them from their lands lest they cause more harm upon the land and their people.

Despite its often uninviting terrain and hostile inhabitants, the Barrens receive a good deal of interest from Alliance and Horde alike, as well as many races native to Kalimdor. Trade routes criss-cross the landscape leading to and from more inviting regions. Most notably the Gold Road that runs north-to-south through the Barrens and beyond and rumours suggest that precious minerals and ruins await those with the courage to investigate.

Ichigo wiped his sleeve across his forehead.

The sun was burning his skin and he could feel sunburn coming on almost instantly as he stepped off the lift when he first entered these Barrens. It was a scorched wasteland that looked like nothing could survive in it. In fact the only life he had come across was the occasional Hyena and some sort of odd giant reptilian creatures with orange skin and horn jutting out of their noses... Although they were harmless, they still put him on edge about the weird animals one can find in this world.

Ichigo and Adelina had been travelling through the Barrens for two days now and were still three days away from the border between the Barrens and Dustwallow Marsh, and that was not good. Even though he was given a lot of food and water for his journey it simply wasn't enough to pull him and Adelina over for their trip to Theramore. Even though the swamps would likely not be as hot as this hell hole, it would still be its own kind of hell hole.

He had, at most, two days' worth of water and food left. He could probably ration it a bit, but with the heat and the fact that if they tried to ration the water it would only cause more problems for them in the long run. They needed to keep themselves alert and ready to fight at a moment's notice. Even though there were in pretty much no-man's-land, there were still things out there that could kill them, and he didn't want to be attacked by these so called pig-people called Quilboar.

"It's so hot..." Whined Adelina.

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder to see his companion walking a few feet behind him with her head and shoulders slumped forward and dragging her feet along the dry and cracked ground.

Ichigo was starting to get annoyed with her. She just didn't stop complaining about the weather and it was really getting on his nerves more than the heat that she was actually complaining about. He let it pass for a while now. After all, only three days ago she had told him about her past and upbringing in the Stonetalon Mountains. He had comforted her when she had finished her tale. Although he did nothing but offer her a shoulder to cry on, it was more than she needed.

They stayed the night in the small alcove and waited till morning to continue their journey. All the while Ichigo let Adelina cry out her pain and sorrow that she had been bottling up for so long. She needed to vent all that pain and when it was all over he talked to her.

Ichigo told her that he would make sure nothing happened to her; he said that the people who treated you so badly were bastards. Because of the simple fact that they didn't know what she was going through, what it felt like to lose family, they wrote off her unsuccessfulness as a trait. They were worse than trash.

For the rest of the night she stayed by his side and slept on his shoulder. Although Ichigo was not very comfortable having her sleeping on him he allowed it for once. The girl had a past that was even worse than his and she deserved some comfort.

But even though he had gotten her out of that rut she was in, letting all that grief of her to be let out and let her have some closure, she was still annoying him. He turned back down the road and marched on, and kept a look out for anything that would be interested in killing him and his friend and drinking their blood as a substitute for water.

"Why is it so hot?" Asked Adeilina in the most bleak and miserable tone she could muster.

Although it was clear the question was rhetorical Ichigo decided to answer it anyway.

"Maybe it's because we're in the middle of a barren wasteland and you keep bringing up the fact it is hot." Murmured Ichigo just under his breath, she didn't pick up on it, even with those ears of hers.

Ichigo continued on his way without another words, for at least a few more minutes. The substitutes temper was building not just due to the intense heat, but also because of Adelina's constant whining about the temperature. Ichigo knew he couldn't blame her for the temperature, it was really fucking hot; he didn't even think the Sahara was this hot. And yet he was walking through a place that was likely still holding in the heat from the massive bush fire that tore right through it ten thousand years ago.

"I'm so hot..." Said Adelina, drawing out the last words with a groan, which made Ichigo want to strangle her. She was annoying, yes, but she could at least keep her problems to herself for at least every minute rather than every five second.

"Ichigo..." She said, although Ichigo didn't stop or even ask what she was going to say, she said the one thing he knew she was going to say. "It's hot!"

"I know it's hot!" Yelled Ichigo; whirling on Adelina and rising up his trembling hands in indignant anger and struggling to maintain whatever semblance of calm remained within him not to kill her, which made Adelina recoil back in fright. "So will you shut up about it already?!"

Adelina unconsciously leaned away from the teenage Shinigami and had an utterly terrified expression on her face.

"Why are you being so mean to me?!" She sobbed like a little girl, clearly unsure of why her friend was yelling at her, a sobbing expression on her face as if she was about to cry.

At the sight of her whimpering form Ichigo's annoyance and anger slowly abated. Although he was still annoyed with her complaining, he would at least keep his anger in check. After all she was kind of sensitive and weird and when they went hand in hand it didn't help with dealing with her.

Ichigo lowered his fist and took in a calming breath. He didn't need to waste his energy getting angry at the poor girl, and while in the middle of the desert yelling and bickering would only tire him out and bring his all the likely death all the more closer.

"Listen, I didn't mean to snap at you." Said Ichigo; his words much softer although still carrying some irritation in his tone. Adelina lost her whimpering expression and looked at him almost like a child waiting anxiously for what happens next. "It just… the heat and all that is getting to me..." Adelina looked on for a moment and when she was about to agree that it was kind of hot, he continued. "Also, your constant moaning and groaning about it, isn't exactly helping me with my mood..." Said Ichigo, which made Adelina's head bob down and a small embarrassed blush appear on her face.

"Sorry..." Adelina said, she didn't like making him angry, but sometimes she just didn't know she was doing it.

"It's alright; just try and keep it to a minimum, ok?" Asked Ichigo; trying to be nice about a very irritating circumstance that seems to go hand in hand when dealing with the young Druid.

Adelina just raised her head to nod at him before they continued walking.

For the next few minutes it was quiet, which was what Ichigo needed to think about the next part of their journey.

Three days from the border was bad. Although he was inclined to do some cross country and shave off a maybe a full day of walking, but it was recommended by Quintis and Shandris that he stay on course and stick to the roads. After all, there were a lot of things in the Barrens that could do him in, and the roads were the safest place you could travel while in the Barrens.

He had been given a few details on the things that lurk across the planes.

From Wind Serpents, giant snake-like creatures with wings that could in some capacity control the winds and lightning and also were quite poisonous.

Then he was told about Thunder Lizards, a distant and violent cousin of the Kodo, which could crush a man and also electrocute him with lightning that is channelled through the plates along his backs and through their mouths.

Then there were the Raptors... Oh, he was so not happy when they mentioned that they had dinosaurs here, and that Raptors make nests throughout the Barrens and usually hunt in packs! He was so not happy about that... Not one fucking bit.

Then, to add some spices to this cocktail of his personal hell, he was told that the area he would be passing through would be practically Quilboar central. It would be like walking right between two armies of pig-men and then walking past several camp sites that are littered with likely hundreds of the beasts.

So it was no surprise he was not in the best mood right now...

He had everything from Hyenas to fucking Stegosauruses breathing down his neck and likely ready to either devour or electrocute him... Or in some cases both... So he wasn't exactly in the best place he could be right now.

How in the hell do people survive in places such as this?! It would be almost impossible! With the local wildlife and the other inhabitants who wanted this place for themselves, it was a death trap. With the heat it was practically suicidal to try to cross this place without an armed escort... A large armed escort.

And to make matters worse when he reached Dustwallow Marsh they had to go another two days by foot before they reach the damn city that was on the coast of the swamp. How was he along with his partner going to survive in the middle of a swamp for two days with no food or water was the question. There were things there he could possibly eat, but the risk of either getting sick or dying wasn't exactly something he wanted to risk while in the middle of a swamp filled with crocolisks and swamp-men, and by some accounts massive spiders.

For the next few metres nothing else passed through Ichigo's mind. He was just going to have to... wing it and hope for the best. The tense silence was interrupted by a quiet mumble from behind Ichigo.

"It's so hot..."

Ichigo's eye twitched as soon as he heard it.

* * *

**Several Hours Later, Field of Giants**

It was not even midday yet and the sun had become all but unbearable. The heat was at its worst during this time of day and would barely diminish as it slowly went into the afternoon. In fact the nights were the only time when this place was bearable. The heat of this place was perfectly boxed in by the mountains, so there was little escape for the heat and even what did escape it usually went on to less arid places such as this.

Ichigo was just grateful that they found a tree to rest under. Its leaves were brown and appeared dying but at least there were enough to offer some form of shade from the angry sun. But even so it offered little respite from the still horrid temperature that permeated the air like a perfume.

He lifted up the leather water pouch and examined it. It was still full and had enough in it to last both him and Adelina till the end of the next day, but still that was little compared to the journey that was still ahead of them. He cursed under his breath before he decided to put the water back into his bag. Every drop from now was valuable, he couldn't risk using too much of it and he couldn't risk both their lives with him being a little thirsty.

He looked over to the panting form of Adelina. She was sprawled on her back with her arms and legs wide apart and taking in all the shade she could. It was almost comical and raised a little tension off Ichigo's shoulders at watching the young woman's antics.

He just wished that they had been a little more prepared for this. While still in Feralas he could have tried and refilled his water and maybe see about getting some food from that small Elven refuge near the border of Thousand Needles. But alas it was too late to turn back, they were five days from there and he didn't have the time to try and get back and get more water, let alone more food. This journey was a two week trip, and it was by luck that they got this far with as much water and food as he had.

Ichigo couldn't help but feel worry built up within him. This wasn't exactly going as he wanted it to. He had hoped that this trip would go on without much of a hitch and he would get the Theramore and have to wait for maybe at most a week before he could go home. But he knew that this was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Apart from the food, water and local wildlife there were some thoughts that were nagging at the back of him mind, most of which involve his current predicament. He was trapped on a completely alien world with unknown beings and many of which have the power to take him down. He is currently unable to regain his Reiryoku quickly... That might have something to do with his little control over containing it, but he felt that there was more to it than that, there was something else going on here.

Then there was the fact that he had no idea if this plan was going to work...

Sure, these people knew about the Twisted Nether and likely how to get there with some effort, but from there how was he going to get back home? There wasn't anything he could do. From what he was told the Twisted Nether was a separate dimension meant to keep the Demons from encroaching on worlds such as Azeroth, but if they are summoned from the Nether then they can enter. But if he goes there it is unlikely that he would get back to earth...

Aizen and that Espada must have known he was going to end up in that place and it was likely once he got there he would not be getting out.

But there were still so many other things that were running through his mind...

His friends...

His family...

He didn't know if any of them were still alive right now.

He didn't even know if the war was over...

He didn't know if they had won or lost.

He didn't know if his friends back in Hueco Mundo were still alive.

He didn't know if they saved Orihime or not.

He didn't know if Nel was okay.

He didn't know about any of them!

He didn't know a damn thing because he was stuck in the fucking desert!

He wanted to rip out his own damn hair but knew that it would only take more of his energy. He needed to keep calm yet he couldn't even try with all the thoughts going through his head.

He just wanted to lash out and hit something.

Then the sound of hooves clopping along the ground could be heard not too far from Ichigo and Adelina. The former opened his eyes as he turned towards the source of the sound...

And there he saw a large Tauren in battle plates moving towards him. On his back was a large metal and wooden shield with five sharp pronged spikes moving along the edges, nearly a metre and a half in height. On his hip was a long solid metal claymore that would likely be nothing more than a short sword in the beast's hand.

Ichigo stood quickly and turned to Adelina, who was still unaware of the current situation.

"Adelina." He said quickly, getting the attention of the young Elf. She looked up at him with a tired expression. "Get somewhere safe, we got company."

Adelina sat up and looked past Ichigo to see that a Tauren was making his way towards them, a very large Tauren for that matter. In shiny metal plate armour and had the look of a seasoned warrior and by the way he was advancing towards them meant he was here for anything but a nice chat.

She jumped to her feet and ran in the opposite direction and towards a small ditch. She jumped down into it and just peaked up over the edge to watch.

Ichigo was still focusing on the warrior moving towards them. Ichigo decided not to get Zangetsu out just yet; he may just be someone doing a patrol and might not want to fight. The Tauren stopped a few metres away from the Substitute and a tense eerie silence passed between them.

"Throw down your weapon, Human." Said the Tauren.

His voice strong and booming yet sounded less mature than what he expected. He must be young by Tauren's standards.

"Listen, I don't mean any harm, me and my friend are just passing through here..." Said Ichigo, speaking in the most strong and civil manner he could.

He didn't want to get into a fight with this guy. He could take him on, that he was sure of, but he didn't want to possibly kill someone because of a simple misunderstanding.

"I care little for your reasons for trespassing into our territory; you will answer to our laws and my blade." Said the Tauren warrior.

"Oh come on, what harm could I possibly commit by being here? It's hot, its dry and the only thing I want is to go home!" Shouted Ichigo, more than he intended to but still the heat was unbearable.

"Then you should have stayed there instead of invading these lands!" Roared the mad bull and charged towards Ichigo, drawing its sword and shield in quick succession.

Ichigo reached for Zangetsu and quickly pulled it from his back, the white cloth unwrapping itself from around the blade. As the Tauren drew close Ichigo swung right at its shield. He knew that wood and some metal bolted together wouldn't hold against the sharp edge Zangetsu.

The sound of metal striking against wood was heard, and then not a moment later the sound of it scrapping along its frame. To Ichigo's surprise the wood didn't shattered when he struck.

The Tauren must have known that the attack would have destroyed the shield, so he angled his oddly shaped shield to deflect the blade along the face of the wood and over his head. And when the soul cutter passed over the Tauren shot his claymore-sized blade forward to pierce Ichigo's exposed right side.

Ichigo brought Zangetsu back around and knocked the blade off course. As soon as he deflected the attack he was forced to do so again, the claymore moved towards his right side again, this time intent on cutting him in half. Ichigo could only twist Zangetsu around to just deflect the attack overhead. As Ichigo's Zanpakutō shot up to fully deflect the claymore, the Tauren struck out with his shield, the pointed tip on the front of the shield moving towards the Shinigami's chest.

Without having time to ready his weapon Ichigo raised his hand to catch the attack.

But as soon as he caught that dulled edge, his hand was pushed into his chest and he was lifted off the ground. Ichigo was thrown back several feet and tumbled head over heels through the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled into a recovery. Just in time to avoid the claymore from impaling itself through his heart. He rolled away and into another recovery.

He looked up and was surprised that he had actually thrown his weapon at him. What kind of madman would do something so stupid? Although, he couldn't really call the Tauren that, after all his Inner Hollow did it to him on several occasions, but still there was a cloth on the end of it so he could pull it back to him when it was thrown.

Then a huge silver blur moved towards the sword and quickly reefed it from the ground. Ichigo's eyes widened, this guy was fast! He had covered almost eight metres in about a second.

Then in the same moment he had taken back his claymore, the Tauren charged forward. The small distance between them was covered quickly, leaving Ichigo little time to raise Zangetsu to block the wide swing meant to cleave him in twain. Although, the Tauren was only using one hand he still packed quite a punch when swinging that sword. In fact Ichigo's feet sunk a little into the scorched ground.

Ichigo pushed the sword away and was retaliated from his right side by the shield. Ichigo swung Zangetsu as the metal and wooden shield. He knocked the attack back and away from himself, but again he was attacked by the claymore from his opposite side. Turning quickly he slammed his Zanpakutō against the silver claymore, halting it just inches away from his neck.

A short struggle erupted between them, both pushing hard to overpower the other. Although Ichigo wasn't using all of his strength he still needed to push hard to keep that blade away from him, and then he relaxed his grip and crouched low. The claymore slid across the now horizontally aligned Zanpakutō and over Ichigo.

Tauren stumbled forwards from the change in resistance and this was Ichigo's opening to attack. Rising Zangetsu overhead he swung down at the Tauren's back. He just wanted to wound him so he couldn't fight any more, but that didn't happen when the wooden shield block his strike. He watched the wood and metal bend and buckle under the force but still remained intact.

Ichigo was surprised that it could have survived a strike from Zangetsu. He wondered what kind of metal they use to manufacture these weapons, after all they had plenty things in Dire Maul that could stop his blade from cutting through them. But before he could ponder on this mystery a second longer he was attacked. The kneeling Tauren swung his claymore at the distracted Shinigami and only because of his honed instincts and experience allowed Ichigo to dodge away with only a slight tear along the front of his new coat.

Ichigo landed a few metres away from the Tauren who straightened up quickly and had his sword and shield in a relaxed yet firm grip, ready for any attack that may come his way. Ichigo was holding Zangetsu to his side and in a firm yet nimble grip.

"Impressive, I didn't expect a Human such as you to be so skilled." Said the Tauren warrior; actual respect in his tone. "For a young one barely into an adult you possess a fine sword skill, I could only imagine how strong you would become if you grew older and gained more experience."

"Don't worry; I'll be going on to live a nice long life when I'm done with you." Said Ichigo; his tone betraying nothing but determination in his statement.

"Don't get too overconfident pup, you are still at the mercy of my blade." replied the Tauren. "Tell me, what do they call you?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki" Said the Substitute Shinigami.

"I suppose that it has some meaning in your culture. After all, from the Humans I have met and defeated that name is unique even to me."

"It means - 'He Who Protects'." Said Ichigo, to which the Tauren nodded his head and glanced off towards the small pit where Adelina was hiding.

As she saw him glance her way she ducked behind the edge to avoid being seen.

"I can see that, you wish to protect her and likely others." He said. "An honourable duty I am sure, but still that does not allow me to show you any more mercy than what I have already given you. You trespassed in these lands and I cannot allow you to leave here alive."

"I am just going to Theramore. Hell, what do you think I can do here all alone and with no Idea where the hell I am?" Said Ichigo.

"Spies are everywhere, and I cannot risk the safety of my home to outsiders." Said the Youngblood warrior; raising his shield in front of him and pulling back his sword. "My name is Drekhve Steelrage, and I will be the one who ends you."

Without another word Drekhve Steelrage charged at Ichigo, the distance between them was covered in a single moment. Zanpakutō and sword clashed in a display of sparks and the sound of clashing metal. Another struggle started between the two warriors.

One fighting to protect his home, and other fighting to return to his own.

Although both had good reasons to do what they needed to do, they would neither allow the other to succeed for it would either be their death or a stain on their honour for failing. Ichigo flung the sword away and retaliated, but Drekve was fast. He quickly parried the blow with his shield and knocked it away so he could strike with his claymore, forcing Ichigo to twist out of the way or be impaled.

Continuing his rotation he swung Zangetsu in a backwards swing towards the Tauren's head. Drekhve turned to face the oncoming blow and block it with his shield. As soon as the weapon met the steel and wooden shield he adjusted its angle to allow the blade to glide off. As the Zanpakutō sailed over the Tauren head, the claymore moved to take off the Substitute's head.

With speed and agility not thought possible for someone so young and with such a large weapon, Ichigo was able to raise Zangetsu back up and block the claymore. Ichigo grunted as he tossed aside the large sword and retaliated. He had been on the defensive long enough and now it was time to strike back.

With his sword now free he swung it down hard onto the shield, splintering wood and bending metal in equal measure.

Ichigo sliced his Zanpakutō off the shield and then raised it once more to strike. Not wanting to risk losing his shield Drekhve raised his claymore and used his shield to help hold against the young boy's Zanpakutō. Ichigo pressed harder against the claymore and shield combo and inched his blade closer to the Tauren's face.

Drekhve's teeth gritted together as he tried to force the human's blade away from his own, but the unnatural strength the boy possessed prevented him from anything of the sort. But with a defiant roar he summoned up every bit of his strength and pushed the boy back, even though he was pressing down hard against Drekhve, the Tauren outweighed the young Substitute. He was able to lift the young human off the ground and push him away.

Ichigo landed a few feet away and watched as the warrior charged forward, claymore over his chest and his shield just behind it to follow up his cleaving swing with a shield bash. Ichigo readied himself to defend himself from the coming onslaught.

Drekhve slashed towards Ichigo, who raised Zangetsu to his side and deflected the sword over and past him, and as the shield shot towards him Ichigo swung right towards it, knocking the metal and wood shield aside. He turned back quickly to block the claymore moving towards him again.

Ichigo angled Zangetsu to allow the claymore to slide along the edge and over him. When the blade passed Ichigo twisted the blade down and swung at the Tauren. His attempt failed as Drekhve had turned to intercept the blow with speed that defied his size. Sparks flew between the two blades as they clashed and both combatants didn't back down from one another as they pressed their blade harder against their opponents.

* * *

Adelina watched from the sidelines as Ichigo and the Tauren, Drekhve, fought it out. She could see sparks and pieces of wood fly away as blades clashed and that shield blocked Ichigo's Zanpakutō. She was shocked that the Tauren was actually able to keep up with Ichigo.

Something so big and bulky shouldn't really be that nimble and agile, especially with all that armour and swinging around a claymore like it was a wooden stick. She hid her eyes behind her hands when she saw a very close call where the Tauren nearly decapitated Ichigo. She didn't like it when he got into fights; it got her all worried and made her want to try and help.

But she couldn't, she needed to stay put and not do anything stupid, she could distract Ichigo and he could be hurt or even killed if she ran up and yelled at him to be careful or something.

Just as she was thinking about that when she heard something moves behind her.

It sounded like a... snuffle?

Adelina turned and what she saw made her freeze in shock. Standing on the ridge behind her was a Quilboar in black and bronze armour with a banner of flesh on its back, which looked like the face of some poor human who was still screaming. But it wasn't the only one there; behind it were dozens of others. All in different pieces of attire, from metal plates, to robes and others wore simple pants and a few belt straps to keep them from falling down.

She couldn't help but chuckle nervously as they all stared down at her with open hostility. She inched her hand closer towards her staff that was leaning against the face of the ditch she was in, her hand nearly wrapped around the silver shaft of the weapon. And just as she grasped it she heard an angry squeal from the black and bronze armoured Quilboar.

Without thinking she swung her staff at them and from the golden headpiece flew forth a gust of wind that knocked them all away from her. Shocked by the sudden power she displayed she looked down at her staff and then back up at the small Quilboar army. They had been dazed by her attack, so now was the perfect time to run for it and hope they didn't catch her.

She scrambled up the wall of the ditch and pulled herself out and onto solid ground, and when she got to her feet she took off running.

Her destination?

The only person she knew that could handle what was currently chasing after her, and right now he was busy deflecting blows from the Tauren's claymore and swings from its shield.

* * *

Ichigo ducked under another swing aimed for his neck, but this was just a faint to allow the Tauren to try and slam its shield into the Substitute's bowed head. Ichigo raised his hand and caught the shield with his bare hand, sending a shooting pain up his arm.

Although it hurt, it was better than getting hit in the head.

He rose quickly and twisted the shield and by extension the Tauren's arm, opening Drekhve's torso to be sliced open. Ichigo raised Zangetsu and swung down. But it was halted by the Tauren's claymore, halting the blade mere inches from his head. Both were struggling to push their opponent away, but Ichigo had enough strength to push a little harder.

This struggle continued for a small while, both fighters eyeing one another with a single determination - to be the victor and to stand over the beaten remains of the loser. Ichigo pressed down harder, and Drekhve pushed him back with the same force. Their struggle continued on, neither wanting to back down from the challenge.

Ichigo had never really fought against someone as strong as this guy. He was fast and could pack quite a punch, and Drekhve was in the same boat as the young substitute. He was only here to clear out the local Quilboar population along with several other Warriors who had split up to raid the camps in the south, and these pigs had offered him little challenge. But this fight now was really getting them into the fighting spirit.

But as they continued their little scuffle something came up to their side unnoticed and then made itself noticed by yelling into both their ears.

"HELP! PIG MEN ARE ATTACKING!" Adelina yelled, shocking the two warriors as she had in their opinions appeared out of thin air.

They turned to see the panicking Elf standing before them.

One hand was waving itself madly by one side and the other was pointing off into the distance. Both turned to see that their little battle had taken their attention away from the small Quilboar's army that was moving towards them. Drekhve could make out about forty of them, but what made him growl was the fact that ten of them were Razorfen Quilguard. Very dangerous enemies to be fighting against, they were much more skilled and smarter than the other lot, mainly due to the fact they were older and experienced.

He could probably handle this if those damn Quilguard weren't there, but he would need help with dealing with such a large force that had strong reinforcement with elite troops. He turned to the Substitute and as much as it stained his honour he had to get him to fight alongside him. Then afterwards he could finish their little duel and be on his way to killing more of the Pig men.

"Ichigo." Said Drekhve; drawing the boy's attention away from the Quilboar and toward him. "If we both wish to live through this day we will need to work together."

Ichigo looked a little surprised by his suggestion of working together. About twenty seconds ago they were at each other's throats trying to rip them out, and now he was asking for his help? That was something he never would have expected from a battle hungry guy such as him.

"Don't mistake my call for aid as a truce." Continued Drekhve. "As soon as they are dead we will continue our duel."

Ichigo stared at the hulking bull before him for a moment before nodding his head. This wasn't anything more than a temporary alliance against a common enemy.

Turning to Adelina and telling her the only thing she could do at the moment - hide. She did so without a fuss and rushed off towards a small hill, climbing up its slop and laying down along it to watch the battle that was about to take place.

Ichigo and Drekhve stood together watching as the crowd of Quilboar march towards them, ready to carve them to pieces. Ichigo could see that among them were many different varieties of warriors. Some had thick plated armour over their chest and shoulder while other had barely anything on at all that offered any kind of protection. Some had robes and staffs and then there were others. It was likely that the ones with robes were some sort of sorcerers, which meant he had to keep on his toes.

"Anything I need to know about these guys?" Asked Ichigo, although he got the idea that the ones with wooden staffs and robes were spell-casters, he could undermine the ones with maces, sword and spears; they were definitely an obvious threat and the armoured ones were likely better than the rest.

"Most of them aren't highly lethal, but they have the numbers to back them up, don't allow them to swarm you. Also the ones with the armour are very dangerous, keep your guard up around them and watch out for the Dustweavers, Groundshakers and Death Head's, their magic is very potent." Said Drekhve; raising his sword to his side and placing his shield in front of himself.

"Got it." Said Ichigo.

That was the last words that passed their lips before they charged forward, their blades held back and ready to be swung, at their backs was their only spectator and at their fronts was a small army of Quilboar ready to meet their end at the edge of their swords.

* * *

Ichigo leapt over the spear that shot towards his stomach, leaping over the simple stick and rough metal tip and towards its wielder. He planted his foot on the top of the Quilboar's head and leapt into the middle of the fray.

Drekhve although an experienced warrior did what anyone his size would, barged through them with little care and started hacking and cutting them apart with unchained savagery and skill befitting a warrior of the Horde and of the Steelrage clan.

Adelina watched from the distance in a mesmerised awe as the battle was taking place below. Dozens of Quilboar fought against two incredibly skilled and powerful warriors and were being decimated. Although some were putting up a challenge for the two warriors, they did not last long against the far more experienced Shinigami and Tauren.

Ichigo and Drekve were handling the battle easily; she wondered what kind of life Ichigo must have lived before he came here. There was no way he could have been trained to fight like that. His movements, although skilled, were sloppy and showed that he had no formal training in the weapon he was using. He was more of a brawler who went for at it without any strategy and acts within the moment to take them down. It wasn't bad, she could only wonder what he would be like when he actually perfects his sword skills and masters the weapon he is wielding.

He could be one of the best swordsmen in the world.

Adelina knew he was strong, and was willing to protect her from anything or anyone who wanted to harm her, but she couldn't help but feel ashamed of not being able to help him. She could heal his wounds and keep him company, but that was little comparing to what he did back at Feathermoon Stronghold or Dire Maul.

He was a warrior, and she was nothing more than a tag along who wanted to understand why she wanted to travel with him. But in those travels she wanted to actually prove she was something more than a failure, something more than a little girl who needed a shoulder to cry on when she needed it. She wanted to actually make something of herself that she could be proud of...

Her parents proud of...

Ichigo proud of...

She looked down at the battlefield again. The slaughter continued down below.

She will get stronger! She didn't know how long it would take or how hard it would be, but she will prove to everyone that she wasn't what they thought she was! She will prove she was a Druid that will make a difference in this world!

* * *

Ichigo twisted to the side as a spear moved the pierce his heart. He then grasped the flimsy made spear and pulled it and its wielder towards him, then with a downward swing cut a deep gash through its chest. He let the spear go and let both it and the Quilboar fall on the ground. Turning he swung Zangetsu up to deflect a ball of condensed shadow from colliding with his back. The shadowy energies exploded against his blade and harmlessly faded into the air.

Ichigo continued his fight against these Quilboars warriors; he was honestly surprised by their fighting skill. Although nowhere near as good as him and that walking tank Drakhve they were still pretty good that if enough got close enough they would be a threat.

It was only due to the fact that both he and the Tauren had decided to work together that was preventing these things from swarming them. They had them divided up nice and easy and were carving them apart like a family carves apart a roast dinner. But Ichigo was a little uneasy about killing these things, even though they are animals they are sentient to a degree, and he couldn't help but feel a little sick that he was slaughtering just like what they looked like: pigs.

With a single thrust the substitute soul reaper pierced the entire torso of another Quilboar Earthshaker. He then lifted it up and tossed it away, slamming into two more pig-men off in the distance. Ichigo blocked an axe from slicing through his shoulder and saw that he was being attacked by a Razorfen Quilguard. These guys were not to be taken lightly like the rest of their kind, they were stronger and much better fighters than the run of the mill that congregate around the Barrens.

And because of that this one was able to survive Ichigo's counter attack. Ichigo had flung the axe off his Zanpakutō and swung it down on top of the creature, but it quickly raised it to block the attack. Zangetsu was able to carve its ways through the metal axe head and halted just as it reached the metal handle it was attached to.

Ichigo kicked the Quilguard in the gut and dropped the pig to its knees. He then twisted Zangetsu quickly to the side and broke the axe head in half and freed his blade before swinging it once more. This time cutting through the metal plate on its shoulder and chest; halting near its stomach just before the creature was split in twain. Kicking the Quilboar off his Zanpakutō he scanned the area for anything that was coming his way.

Quickly he ducked under a barrage of spells and watched as the Tauren was fighting off over a dozen Quilboar single-handedly. It appeared that they thought him the greater threat and were trying to take him down first. Ichigo was about to charge in an attempt to alleviate some of the threat the Steelrage warrior was generating, when three appeared between him and the Tauren he had to think about his own safety rather than Drekhve's.

For the next few minutes the battle continued, sword and magic flew across the small battleground. Ichigo and Drekhve were now starting to get into some trouble.

The Quilboar may be less skilled and easy to fodder when compared to the two warriors, but their numbers and potent magic made up for that. Soon gashes and cuts were starting to appear across the Substitute's and the Tauren's body and the magic they were using was starting to take its toll.

Ichigo was panting lightly as he stood back to back with the Tauren Warrior; both of them were covered in shallow wounds and marks showing that they had been on the receiving end of magical attacks. Around them were nine Quilboar warriors, all which remained of the forty five that had attacked them.

Although that was less than one fourth of their original numbers, they were still a dangerous threat to them, as the remaining ones were some of the strongest present. Three Quilguard, five Death's Heads and one Groundshaker - not a good combination.

"Got any ideas on how to deal with these guys?" Asked Ichigo; raising Zangetsu in front of him and waiting for the Quilboar to make their move.

As much as he was one to move in and attack, he didn't want to mess with those Death's Heads, their magic really hurt like hell, he could still feel the potent magic working away at his arm, it felt like razor blades were inside his muscles.

"Move in together and strike as one." Said Drekhve; hefting up his shield and turning towards the Groundshaker that was in the distance.

And without another word charged at the Quilboar in blue robes, sword raised and shield up front.

In desperation the Groundshaker tried to attack, sending an Earth Shock spell towards the Tauren, but with its shield raised all it did was connect with the shield and slow the Tauren down a small fraction before the warrior was upon the small pig. With a single swing of the claymore the Quilboar was cut in half, and with that the other Quilboar sought to finish off the Tauren.

Turning Drekhve intercepted the sword from one of the Quilguards. But behind him a Death's Head Priest was sending a Shadow Bolt right for his back. The Bolt travelled quickly to the Tauren's armoured back, but before it could connect it was blown apart by a blur of black and silver.

Standing at the Tauren's back was the Shinigami, his sword raised in a slashing motion. He had destroyed the Bolt and was now protecting the Tauren while he fought against those around him. With another flash the boy charged and attacked a Death's Head Priest and cut its head in half, before spinning and attacking the nearby Quilguard, his Zanpakutō cutting through the Quilboar's blade with ease, but the wielder was able to dodge out of the way before he was cut apart along with his weapon.

Ichigo leapt away as another barrage of spells that moved towards him, Bolts of darkness and icy crystals shining a light blue passed by where he stood only a moment ago. Landing again he saw from the corner of his eye as another Bolt moved towards him. He didn't have time to dodge, but also he didn't have to.

A blur moved between him and the Bolt and it collided with a shield, and then the blur moved on towards another target.

Drekhve had saved Ichigo.

Ichigo turned towards his attackers and charged, Zangetsu by his side and ready to carve the damn pig apart. And when he was upon him he struck carving a deep gash in its chest before moving off.

As he turned he saw Drakhve cut down another Death's Head Priest. Four were left: three Death's Heads and a Quilguard.

Ichigo moved to intercept them when his feet were encased in ice and then chains erupted out of those blocks and wrapped around his chest and shoulders. Ichigo stood immobile as Drekhve fought against the four remaining Quilboar, fighting one on one with the Quilguard and dodging pot shots from the three Death's Heads. Struggling against the chains Ichigo tried to get out before they did the Tauren in.

He watched as Drekhve was assaulted by concussive attacks, balls of condensed shadow and Bolts of ice. He was being worn down to nothing and with him fighting against the Quilguard he wasn't in any condition to defend himself and attack effectively. Ichigo continued to struggle against the bindings but found that even though it was made of ice it was being held together by something a little stronger. When it comes to magic then even the most simplest of objects and spells can be deceptive.

Ichigo kept pouring his Reiatsu into the air around him. Although it wouldn't make him strong enough to shatter the chains, it should weaken the hold of the chains on his body, and then he could break them off and continue to fight. But for every second it took to remove the chains was a second closer in which Drekhve came close to being beaten.

His wounds were starting to take hold, the magic that was being inflicted on his body were beginning to wear him down. His entire body shivered in pain and the freezing cold as both Shadow and Ice Magic coursed through his veins and over his body. Ichigo increased the pressure, the ice began to crack and rattle as he applied more power.

He saw the Tauren block the last remaining Quilguard's axe with a half-hearted swing of his shield, knocking himself off balance rather than the enemy. Then he was struck in the back by a concussive force, falling to his knee Drekhve coughed hoarsely as small driblets of blood flowed from his mouth, as he tried to stand he was attacked once more.

The Quilguard swung its mighty axe wide at the Tauren's armoured chest. Drekhve couldn't raise his weapon or his shield in time, the blade cut through his weakened armour and knocked him back. He fell away from the attack and towards the ground. His body twisted and he fell flat on his face, the only thing that showed he was still alive was the dust that picked up in front of his face to show he was breathing. But that would change soon enough if that Quilguard dropped that axe on top of his head.

As the Quilguard lifted its hatchet to take the head of the Warrior that had killed many of its kin, as both punishment and a trophy worthy of presenting to Overlord Ramtusk, and the mark that he was worthy to be a Quilguard Champion. But before he could begin to do so he felt a pressure on his shoulders.

Looking up the Quilguard warrior saw the human ahead of him shrouded in blue energy, and the icy chains around him were shaking violently. Then in a single moment the chains snapped and the prisoner vanished. Then in the next moment all went dark for the Quilguard warrior, for his body was nearly obliterated by the savage swing that tore his body apart. Armour and body part few apart and away from where it once stood whole.

The Quilboar Death's Head's that stood only a few metres away from the warrior were shocked by his power, they felt the dark malevolent energies that the human had used, and the fact he could move at speeds that put even the most seasoned of fighters to shame. He also could swing a sword so fast that it could obliterate a person completely. Seeing no other choice they had to fight. Running would ensure their deaths, while fighting allowed them to have a small chance of survival.

But in truth, there was no chance.

Ichigo whirled on the closest Quilboar and charged, Zangetsu at his side and ready to strike. The Quilboar raised its hand to send forth a spell, but when Ichigo vanished, the Quilboar could do nothing look down at the blade which was sticking out through its chest. Then in an instant it was pulled from its back and Ichigo was moving on to the next two Death's Heads, who were standing over thirty feet away and just now sending a volley of Ice and Shadow Bolts towards him.

Charging forward Ichigo ducked, dodged and batted away the foul Magic that was being cast his way. When he was close he Shunpo'ed to the side and then again, and then he continued this with every single step he took, Distracting them and preventing any more spells from even coming close to making contact.

When he was close enough he Shunpo'ed right past them both and swung in a wide arc at their backs. They were both cut in half and four body parts crashed onto the ground.

Ichigo took in a deep breath and calmed his thumping heart. He had to admit that this was a hard fight, he never expected these things to put up so much of a fight. He turned towards the Tauren Warrior and rushed forward, sheathing Zangetsu on his back and kneeling over the fallen Drekhve. Ichigo turned him onto his back and examined his wounds, the most sever looking wound was the one that put him face first into the dirt.

Ichigo knew he couldn't take the wounds he was seeing into account, the damage the magic that was done could cause any number of problems internally: broken bones, internal bleeding, and frost bites – as stupid as they may sound in the middle of the desert – and that Shadow Magic could cause all kinds of hell.

He knew he didn't have anything that could stop whatever was killing the Tauren, but he knew someone who could. He rose to his feet quickly and turned towards the hill where his companion was watching and called out to her.

* * *

**One hour later**

Drekhve groaned as he felt his entire body ache from stiffness as well as being tender. He felt like his body had been trampled over by Kodo and at the same time felt stiff as a board. He didn't know such a thing was possible and yet here he was living through it.

He opened his eyes to see the midday sun shining through the small canopy of leaves overhead, the only shade that likely exists within several miles of here. The other thing he realised is that he should be in the sun, getting his hide carved apart by vultures or those Quilboar he had been fighting, but he was resting albeit uncomfortably in the shade.

He sat up slowly stifling another groan and looked around. He could see the battlefield where he and that Human, Ichigo he remember clearly, had fought against over forty of those foul pig-men and, from his current situation, achieved victory. He looked around further and saw both the Human boy and that Night Elf girl sitting down a small distance away speaking with one another.

Their conversation halted when he rose up into a sitting position. They turned toward him and for a moment everything was a quiet, but then they both got to their feet and approached.

"Are you alright?" Asked Ichigo, looking down at the Tauren with what could be discerned as actual concern for his health.

"Yes." Said Drekhve plainly, examining his body and finding several openings in his armour but not his flesh. "I was healed."

"Yeah, you were pretty bad when I got to you, didn't think you were going to make it." Said Ichigo, crouching down next to the Tauren Warrior. "Luckily Adelina here is a healer and she patched you up nice and good."

Drekhve turned to the Night Elf behind the Human boy and gave a simple nod in thanks. Although she was technically an enemy of the Horde, but still he could thank a person for offering him aid.

"I am grateful, but why did you help me?" He asked.

His voice thick and waiting for an explanation on why he was saved.

"I let enough people die as of late." Said Ichigo, his voice low and despairing. At first Drekhve was surprised that boy with such convictions would falter due to a person's death, but he realised that it was just who he was, a boy. "Even though we started off on the wrong side of either of our swords, I didn't feel it right to let you die."

Drekhve looked at the boy for a moment, he was definitely not one to take a life needlessly. He was someone who valued life over taking it, as his name said. He was a protector, similar to him in a sense. And as much as his code demanded his head, his honour told him that this boy did not deserve to meet his end at the edge of hid sword.

"You're a foolish young boy." Said Drekhve, his words plane and quite believable in the way he spoken them. "But you have honour, and for your aid and my rescue I cannot kill you, it would stain my honour to kill you."

"So you're letting us go?" Asked Ichigo, to which the Tauren nodded. "Uh, great..."

Ichigo and Adelina tended to the wounded Tauren for a short while longer, making sure that he was healthy and fit to get back to where he came from.

"Hey do you have any spare water or food?" Asked Ichigo.

Although he was not one to beg or even ask for help from someone who really should be doing so, but he was in a desperate situation.

"Sadly no, I have only enough left to finish my tour in the south before I return back to my post." Said Drekhve. "If you wish you may travel with me, it is four days from here to my post, near the base of the mountains. I can give you the water and food you need there."

"We only have two days left and that's rationing what should be just one day." Said Ichigo, to which the Tauren saw his dilemma.

He had little food and water left, and even if he tried he would likely not last in the heat of the desert for more than a day after.

"All may not be lost." Said Drekhve, pulling out a single pouch of water from his own bag and handing it to Ichigo. "Take this, it will last you three days."

"Thank you, I'll help in the long run, at least until were out of the desert." Said Ichigo, taking the water and placing it into his own satchel.

"I am not finished. There is a town on the borders of the Barrens and Dustwallow Marsh, although small, it should have an Inn and allow you to resupply for your journey to Theramore." Said Drekhve, to which Ichigo and Adelina stared at one another.

Hope filling their eyes that they wouldn't actually die in this god-forsaken hell hole.

* * *

Ichigo and Adelina soon departed and gave one final wave to the Tauren Warrior. Things were now starting to go a little more their way, they had water to last three days and were now on course to a small town where they could rest and resupply. Ichigo was looking forward to actually sleeping in a bed rather than on the ground, and the thought of maybe a shower or bath...

God how he would like to take a nice dip and clean himself off, and Adelina was thinking along the same lines as well. They departed quickly and at a brisk pace, looking forward to reaching the small town on the borders between the Barrens and Dustwallow Marsh.

The small town of Shady Rest.

* * *

**Reviews**

**NIX'S WARDEN: Oh I do remember the Hell Arc, and if she did try that, let's just say that he wouldn't miss. But don't worry, it may not come to that, Also I wanted to get her history out in the open rather than have it go over a dozen chapters and everyone forget it and having to go back and read it all over again to understand the one of chapter 16 they have to go back to chapter 10.**

**Ultima-owner: I'm so sorry for making you cry, so sorry.**

**Adrian11: sorry had a brain fart for a second there, uh chapter 07. Oh Tank and Spank, no he wasn't using Bankai. It was pure skill and the raw awesomeness that is just Ichigo Kurosaki.**

**S.R.457: A good idea, I have been spoken on this by two others, one my Beta-Reader and the other a good friend, and we have decided that he can draw upon both later on in the story. But first he needs to be able to acclimatise to it, after all mana isn't exactly reishi. Eating Souls; definitely not his style.**

**Apocalyptian Scribe: The Harem thing I have taken into deep consideration and I have read many stories that have it and have seen them to drift off as they get deeper into the relationship of it, and I agree with you that they do tend to fly off course. So if I do make one it will likely only be a girl or two. And I am still considering only doing just one girl, and that's very later on. I have heard Mary Sue and seen it many times, those stories offer nothing much more than the guy doing everything right and getting everything handed to him on a plate, not my style.**

**Mandalore the Freedom: It's unlikely I will do a Harem, after all they are difficult to do and even harder to do that makes it realistic, even I couldn't begin to think of how he could get more than one girls to possibly to share him with other woman. After all name a single person in either Warcraft or Bleach that has more than one wife or girlfriend. A Troll girlfriend huh - "When enraged, and in heat, a female troll can mate over 80 times in one night. Be you prepared?" greatest night of any mans life, she would likely break his dick.**

**Soulbow109: Glad you like it, as for who it is, she won't be coming in for a while now and when she does she is going to see Ichigo crash into the scene like heroic knight and save the day and she will be practically in love with him. As to how the Night Elves would react, they would be surprised to say the least that his sword is associated with the moon, and since they know it is a reflection on his soul they may actually think he may have a role to play in this world bigger than even he knows. After all someone associated with the moon and a god-like being, you're gonna make people wonder.**

**Fraiku: Yeah, I'm glad you like it, after all if you only get a small amount of information it leaves too much to be fantasized and if more comes up it is usually forgotten too quickly.**

**Leapinglemur: I don't know, maybe you have a curse that makes you miss chapters that have odd chapter numbers. As for the troll thing, remember the night elves are proud society, to thing themselves related to the trolls would be almost shameful to them; after all, even humans have done the same to people from other countries, seeing others outside their certain race of people as nothing more than animals and slaves. Although the Night Elves would think themselves as a completely different species from the Trolls, especially from the upbringing they had before the War of the Ancients, very arrogant. Sad to say there was some combat in this one, but don't worry next chapter, is a lot of story progression and a lot of funny scenes. Also how the hell am I going to purify Frostmourne, that like punching through a brick wall, it is fucking hard. (That's what she said…)**

**Raximus: Are you talking about Illithar Oakwalker? Also I decided to make it like that so that I won't have to make it over a dozen separate chapters dealing with different things, this way you have a firm grasp of what her life is like and from there I can add more specific details in here and there, this was also meant for those who aren't familiar with warcraft lore. I was actually contacted and asked if I will have scenes that explain the world, and that is what my story is doing along with this, giving non-warcraft people an idea on what the warcraft universe it like.**

**Guest #1: Yep the Bronze are looking for him, as for the Green and Red, they will come in later, and also he may make a friend or two in the flights.**

**Guest #2: Your words are wise and true; you obviously have read much on quantum physics and temporal theory and played Kingdoms of Amalur, good game. It is not that time always wins; it's that also if you change it, there consequences come back and bite not only you but everyone's arse. Also no problem with the language, you make a valid point.**

**Guest #3: Damn it, you have caught on to my secret plan to make Adelina an Epic Druid of the Wild. Curse you! So you think Ichigo should learn, let's say using Mage abilities, such as Blink and Arcane Missiles?**

**Guest #4: I have a very good Omake planned where Nozdormu goes to bleach verse, and is watching Doctor Who, and commenting that he can relate to him how he has to deal with mortal and explaining time to people.**

**Arrankor: Glad to hear it, hope you enjoyed this one.**

**A Simple Fool: I probably won't make a harem, and if I do it will be two girl, three, that is a long shot, but at most two. After all Harems are hard to make that are realistic, I am actually surprised that so many people are saying no to harems after so many let's have a harem fic.**

**Meech Macko: oh, as for what she looks like, she has long dark blue hair, which is goes down to her back and has the bear claw tattoos on her face, she is young and had very delicate and childish features and she wears the robes of a druid, kind of like the robes you start your Druid class for the Night Elves. Look in the barbershop interface to see what she looks like, find in hair: Long and in tattoos: Bear. Then you will see what she looks like. I am still trying to figure out how he is going to get a purified Frostmourne, although I may bring up the poll again one day, with more weapons on it. As for Fan Art, sorry don't really have anything that you could use as a reference for Adelina.**

**Culaio: I have spoken to you in a review**

**Rodmus87: Yes, eventually he will have more comrades, some will stay with him and other will only be for a short while.**

**ZeroAcceptance: Don't worry what comes next will be a shock and also funny, but only before the shock.**

**Zerodragon: No harem, I already know not to do that. Don't worry it won't become some crappy romance fic where he is trying to keep himself a virgin.**

**Exanime Draco: Well, I spoke with you in some detail later on so, if you got another question let me know.**

**Kane: You never know, they could be very interested in him. Don't worry Ichigo's inner hollow and that Vesto lorde form will be coming into play at some point in the story.**

**Guest #5: That's right, duel wielding Ichigo is now canon, so now I have a reason to give him another weapon, training so he can use those weapons, see how Tite Kubo loves me, he gives me a reason to do what I do.**

**Zathol: Great to have you on your first time, that was meant to be dirty, so don't pretend you aren't freaked out or love. I am glad I was able to hold your attention with the story, as about her, she would be somewhere around level 20. Not that far into the game but still strong enough to hold her own, but remember the levels aren't really important, you can take fifty arrows in wow but in this one arrow is usually all it takes. You are correct, she has blue hair that flows down her back and also has the markings of the bear over her eyes. I'll also see about getting a Fan Art picture to reference her to.**

**As for Ichigo getting a new sword, he will evolve in this story, but on his own, he will change that is different than how he did in the manga. As for Chromie, she isn't going to change the events, she is simply observing them, diviations are allowed as long as they don't interfere with the primary flow of time and the fate of Azeroth. After all the Old Gods have done it several times now, and the Bronze haven't even changed those back. As for the souls, they are not part of her notice, but the Green may take notice that many Night Elves have passed into their realm. As for them following a script, that is exactly what they are meant to do, they are like the desk job group of Azeroth, the Red are the gardeners, the Green are the Dream Fairies, the Black were the Labourers and the Blue, kind of like the cool guys that do cool shit.**

**Yeah, funny how she does that, don't worry more funnies are bound to come, as for pairing, there will be two at most, three is highly unlikely as it take away from the story as Ichigo has to deal with all these woman flaunting over him and I won't have him part of a raid group with thirty woman looking to get with him. But don't worry there will be situations such as that in the future, but they won't be harem like just funny oneshot scenes.**

**Also why do you prefer this over United, I was wondering why it is not doing as well as this story.**

**Guest #6: Sylvanas is one of the meanest and most scary woman in all of Warcraft, I don't think she is the romantic type.**

**Guest #7: Funny, I think I could use something like that for later on.**

**Guest #8: Sadly there will be little interaction between the Cataclysm and the Thousand Year Blood War, as based on concurrent temporal theory, the Blood war happens in a year and a half, while cataclysm is about six or seven years later (Using the three year time skip between Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm for this story).**

**As for Ichigo coming back, definitely, with friend, of course, he can flaunt his shit to them.**

* * *

**Alright that all, see you next week everybody, peace out.**


	12. Chapter 11: Shady Rest

**Hello everybody, I hope you have had a good few weeks of reading and waiting, well I hope you're ready for the next chapter that is Transcendence.**

**A lot of things to cover right now, first, I have updated the new version of United, it will be posted alongside this story next week and can be viewed on my profile. I will be keeping the old version up for a week or two so that everyone can see the transition between the two. Also I may include a new surprise for all of you as well.  
**

**I would like to thank you all for you continued support and reading of this story, I have over 37,500 Views and 299 reviews, that I have to say is impressive. I never thought this story would do well, compared to my other Warcraft X Bleach Crossover that no one else reads. Not even one tenth of the views of this story. But still I thank you all for making this story great.**

**Also I would like to thank again Zaralann for Beta-reading my story.**

**Reviews at the bottom; and now on with the story.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 11: Shady Rest**

**Dustwallow Marsh**

The sun was rising slowly over the miasma that was wrought by the swamps of Dustwallow Marsh. Its thinned rays shining down on the wet and muddy land which is all that makes up the swamp. This eternally hot, wet and muddy marsh is one of the most hazardous regions in the entire of Kalimdor, far worse than even the Barren's. Not because of the heat, but because of the inability of any who venture through to find suitable place to rest and the land itself is a traveller's nightmare.

Narrow banks of slippery mud are all that separate the endless stagnant pools and algae-choked channels. The wilderness is a dangerous path to take for a traveller, and even the well-travelled paths are treacherous to those who use them. For any traveller that makes the mistake in thinking that the thick, wondering bogs of the marsh to be solid land may find themselves swallowed up by it, and to have themselves trapped below by the plants that settle on the surface of the briny water.

But it is not only the marshes and the land that makes it deadly, no, for the creatures that make it their home are the true dangers to any who venture within. A haven for beasts who crave the wetness and humidity, for beneath every pool and behind every bush lurks a predator ready to strike any unsuspecting prey. The hundreds of shallow pools that comprise the marsh hold creatures ranging from ambushing packs of Raptors to territorial water-loving Murlocs and even the undead are said to make this place their home, both ghoul and ghost alike.

Indeed, the waters teem with aquatic creatures of all sorts, everything from alligators to eels. Poisonous snakes hang from the trees, and some of the larger specimens are known to drag the unwary up into the branches.

But amidst this foul place there are only two respites one may use to secure suitable accommodations and safety from the wilderness. The First was the Isles of Theramore located on the eastern coast of the marshes. Then there was the only other settlement in the entire region, a small town of only eighty people; built around a small Inn which brought about its name sake - Shady Rest.

* * *

**Shady Rest**

Ichigo and Adelina walked into the town known as Shady Rest, and Ichigo was surprised by the sight he was seeing. Dozens of large brick and mortar houses were lined up down the only street in the town, which was a simple dirt road that led towards a large Inn.

Dozens of people milled about around the town, either going to work, going to the stalls to buy food or other ware, or simply just walking about to stretch their legs. Ichigo felt like he had travelled back in time somehow. Gone back to the days of Knights and Castles; although based on what he has seen already, this possibility was partly true. He felt like he was still back on earth, the culture and the people here were so similar to the European nations about a thousand years ago.

As much as it was surprising to be in such a place, it was also very nice to be around humans again. Although he had no problem with the Elves or Adelina, it was just good to know that there were people here that actually _looked_ like him.

They moved through the streets with impunity, only drawing the occasional stare from a merchant who wanted to sell his wares to them, but all in all there was little to no surprise among the people of him walking through the town.

As they walked towards the Inn on the far side of the town, Ichigo noticed several soldiers pass by, wearing grey and brown tunic and gear along with swords at their waists and shields on their backs with a strange stylized QR symbol carved on them. He brushed it off as the town militia. He could see a lot of shops that had food and other consumables available, which was _good_, Ichigo and Adelina could take some time and resupply here and maybe even stay the night.

"I've never seen a human town before." Said Adelina. Looking at the different buildings and multitude of stalls that were selling everything from food to clothing in wonder.

"Yeah, it's quite a sight, isn't it?" replied Ichigo.

"I know; I have never seen houses and buildings like this before; it's so different from how my people make them." She said, staring up at the large two story house of to her right.

Ichigo kept his eyes on the ever expanding Inn ahead of them.

It was huge, easily three times as large as the houses that were around him and with its roof, nearly three stories high, and if he was lucky then they could get a room for the night and not have to worry about trudging through the swamp.

* * *

Ichigo pushed open the Inn door and came to a large patio which had a desk on the far wall and two entryways leading to two different areas of the Inn. The one of the left led towards a stairwell on the Inn's outermost wall and the right led to the large open dining hall.

He could hear the patrons laughing and singing inside, the sound of mugs clanging against one another and the feint aroma of well cooked meat and vegetables, which was making Ichigo's mouth water at the chance to have some.

Ichigo was brought back from his thoughts as a young woman walked up from behind the desk. She had long blonde hair; she wore a red shirt under a brown vest and a long ankle high skirt and slippers. She had a serene smile on her face as she greeted the latest visitors of the Shady Rest Inn.

"Greetings travellers; welcome to the Shady Rest Inn." She said, smiling all the same as she took in the dishevelled appearance of the two people in front of her. "My, it would seem you are in dire need or rest and food, and also maybe a bath."

Ichigo and Adelina liked the sound of that. A nice _warm_ bath to get rid of the foul smell that seemed to have accumulated over the last week and a half will be heaven.

"Do you have any rooms available, and maybe a bath we could use?" Asked Ichigo.

The hope in his voice not lost to the woman who was serving them. She smiled and giggled to herself.

"Of course, we offer the best in Kalimdor." She said, turning around and pulled a key off a nail on the wall. On it was the number sixteen. She handed it to Ichigo and then continued. "The room will cost you three gold coins a night, which also comes with a complimentary dinner."

Ichigo pulled out three gold coins and handed them to the young woman and she placed them in a small lock box before shutting it and placing it under the counter.

"Your room is just up the stairs and on the first floor; they have a small bathing area where you can wash up." She told them. Ichigo nodded before he and Adelina moved off to their rooms. "If you need anything just ask for Lynn Hyal."

Ichigo waved and thanked her.

* * *

They both walked up the stairs to the first floor and found a long hallway with ten doors; each one had a bronze plate with a number on it. They moved quickly and found their room at the far end of the hall.

Placing the key into the socket Ichigo unlocked the door and pushed it open. Inside could only be described by one word: beautiful. The room was spectacularly decorated, two large beds were along the right hands side wall and passed the far wall was another adjacent room. There was a small table in the middle of the room and several chairs, a wooden bowl of fruit was placed there and several oil lit lamps were hung on the walls and illuminating the room in a golden hue. Several water-paintings and portraits with many unique ornaments decorated the wooden panel walls.

Ichigo moved into the room and towards the entryway on the far side. He entered and saw a wooden screen concealing a large finely carved stone bathtub, and on the shelves were many assortments of soups and body oils. Ichigo could see a small fire pit next to the tub to warm the water as it is placed in the bath. He was eager to just fill it up and then start the fire and take the rest of the day to soak in the warm waters but sadly he needed to deal with some things first.

They needed food, water and, if possible, a place where they could get their clothes washed and cleaned. They had enough money and travelling through the marshes would be hazardous, but with enough time they should reach Theramore in three days easy, two and a half if they were quick enough.

Ichigo put his satchel down on the bed and found Adelina on her own bed rolling around the sheet like a dog would. As much as she was an odd person, she was fun to be around. Ichigo could not help but chuckle at her antics.

"Come on Adelina, let's get some supplies and then we can see about getting some food." The Night Elf stopped her rolling and shot up off the bed and followed after Ichigo.

They both left and Ichigo locked the door behind him.

"We're nearly there Ichigo, just a little while longer and we're in Theramore!" Exclaimed Adelina, to which Ichigo nodded.

And all the more closer to getting back home. And when he _did_ he was wondering _what_ the hell he was going to say to everyone when he got back...

His paced slowed as he thought about that. He didn't exactly know if everyone was alright. The last time he was there everyone was in the middle of a battle with the Espada, there was no telling _what_ was going on back home. He didn't know if everyone was alive or dead, he didn't know what happened to Nel or Orihime when that Espada threw him through the portal and into the Twisted Nether.

He could feel his fear starting to swell. He had no idea what he was going to face when he got back home. He didn't want to return to know that everyone he wished to protect was gone and all those he cared about were lost.

He was pulled from his thoughts when a hand enclosed around his own. He looked up to see Adelina slightly ahead of him leading him towards the stairs, a happy smile on her face and none the wiser to his inner turmoil.

"Come on Ichigo, let's look around! I want to see what kind of things this town has to offer." cheered Adelina, a broad smile on her face and the carefree attitude at full blast, which seemed to light up Ichigo's own morose one.

* * *

Ichigo let the young Night Elf Druid pull him down the stairs and out of the Inn and led him around town. It would do some good to allow his mind to wander rather than to think about what may be happening back home, only dark thoughts would greet him if he did.

The town was as he would expect it to be based on what he read in history back on Earth. Simple brick and mortar houses with wooden roofs and architecture reminiscent of European design. He could make out most of the scripture on the stalls, although what really told him the main purpose were the items being sold: cloths, food and other items of general interest were being sold across the street.

He wondered what kind of cultures the rest of the races of this world held? If he wasn't so quick to return home he would have thought to stay a while longer...

He shook his head. He didn't come out here to mope in broad daylight.

Ichigo stopped by a stall selling several fresh fruit, as strange as it was to see bright vibrant fruit in the middle of a dull and somewhat grey swamp. It was still good to see something that he could eat without having to worry if it was off or not. He could see all assortments of fruits: Apples, Pears, Watermelons, Pumpkins, and even Bananas. He was almost willing to jump and buy as much fresh food as he could, but knew that he had to keep himself under control.

No need in buying a horde of food if you're only going to be staying somewhere for a few days. He opted to just wondering around town for a bit and seeing the sights, as few as there were there was still some interesting things to see.

A large stone carved fountain was in the middle of the town's main street, on it was a carving of a man with a large sword in hand and a baby cradled in his arm, at the base of the pedestal he stood upon was a plank. It read 'Auduin Lothar, Lion of Azeroth, one of the greatest Warriors and Commanders the Alliance and Azeroth has ever known.'.

Ichigo had no idea the significance of this man.

But based on the fact that these people would go and had a statue of him built in a small town _in the middle of a swamp_, where only these people would likely see just showed that he was a very prominent historical figure and worthy of any and all praise.

* * *

For the next hour they moved around the town and viewed what it had to offer. To Ichigo's amazement, there was a stable in town, just behind the Inn and packed with large and strong horses that from what he had learned could take him and Adelina to Theramore. Ichigo spoke with the Ostler and found that two horses would cost him twenty gold coins, but he would only be renting them, as the stables in Theramore and Shady Rest are both owned by the city. He could rent the horses and then he could ride them to the city at his leisure, but after he got there he would have to hand it back. _Luckily_ he wasn't going to be taking the horse with him back to Earth.

Ichigo and Adelina returned to the Inn by midday, the sun was reaching its full height and both Ichigo and Adelina wanted to take a bath and then get something to eat that _wasn't_ a piece of fruit on some un-buttered bread. Quickly they returned to their room, and both rushed for the bath.

After an awkward halt as the side of the tub Ichigo decided to let Adelina take the first dip. She practically _squealed_ when she heard it and without warning started to undress. Flustered and having trouble holding back a blush as she slowly pulled down her skin tight leggings, revealing thin and delicate undergarments, that clung to her well rounded rear.

"God dammit, don't get undressed in front of me!" Yelled Ichigo as he raised his hand over his eyes.

Adelina looked back at him as her trousers were at her ankles and she went bending forward in an almost alluring manner.

Quicker than a Raptor that would leap onto a deer, Ichigo twirled on his feet and rushed out of the bathing area, all the while trying to fight down the blood that quickly rose to his head and remove the impure thoughts that were circling in his mind. All the while a _certain occupant_ in his head was goading him into going back there and giving a certain blue haired, purple skinned woman a sponge bath.

He fought against both the thought and the insults to his manhood and was able to win but not before being called a 'pussy' by one of his two tenants.

While Adelina had her bath Ichigo decided to sort out his gear and other belonging he had on his persons. First he pulled out the different vials of potions he had with him. Seven remained: two rejuvenation potions, one Mana potion and four Anti-Venoms. Luckily he didn't have to use any. He then pulled out five empty water satchels and what was left of the food they had, which included a single slice of bread and half an apple.

"It was pure luck me and Adelina ran into him out in the Barrens. If we didn't, we probably wouldn't have found this place and likely would have been starving by now." Murmured Ichigo.

Ichigo grabbed his coin purse and emptied the contents onto the table. He then started counting the gold and silver coins. Eventually he came to the total of fifty eight gold and seventy silver coins, which would likely earn him quite a bit of money back home. He pressed on and started pulling out the armour he had acquired from Dire Maul, and to say that the armour was eccentric and varied would be correct, as each piece he had had a different colour and design.

The first was the Chest-piece, a red painted hard plated steel with gold trim, that can cover his entire torso easily as wells as over his shoulders and down his arms to his elbows.

The Leg-guards were yellow plated steel over chain-mail with dull blue trimming, which covered both the legs up to the ankle and had thick plates along the joint to prevent an attack from dislocating or breaking a person's leg if struck.

Then there were the Shoulder-guards: large bile green pieces of plated metal. The guard meant for the left shoulder had a more pronounced neck guard and layering than the right, offering more protection to the head and the arm, likely due to that fact that the left arm was usually the standard shield bearing arm.

The next pieces were the bracers, which covered half of his forearms from his wrist up. They were grey metal cuffs that fitted to the arms with leather straps fitted inside the metal and were thick, likely to be used to block an incoming strike if needed.

Then the gauntlets were brought out, maroon red in color with an intricate design on the back of the hand. Ichigo could feel a strange energy move its way through the metal, small sparks of purple energy jumped out at him as he brushed has hand over the steel. They easily covered the bracers and offered even greater protection to the person's arms.

The boots were simple metal greaves, which looked grimy and in need of a good clean, but sadly that would have to wait for later on.

The final piece was the cape, a long cloak of light blue cloth with gold and purple trimming that showed off intricate lining and stitching. Although the purpose of the cloak wasn't made clear to Ichigo, he didn't mind the design.

As he was finishing examining his new gear and the contents of his satchel, he didn't notice Adelina had finished her bath and was leaning over Ichigo's shoulder. Before he could realise she was there and make himself scarce she made herself known.

"Are you going to try them on?" She asked, resulting in Ichigo practically leaping from his seat and onto the opposite side of the table and crumbling to the floor.

Adelina watched in surprise of her own at her friend strange reaction to her question. She looked over the table and watched as he slowly got back up.

Ichigo moved to yell at her for sneaking up on him but his words were caught in his throat. He looked at Adelina to see that she was in nothing but a bath towel, which covered her bust and just barely hid her womanhood. Ichigo watched in silence as the blood rushed to his face and turned it deep scarlet. There was a silence between them for a short while, Ichigo finding it hard to form a coherent sentence and Adelina having absolutely no idea _why_ Ichigo was staring at her and _why_ he was going all red.

"Ichigo are you alright?" She asked, walking around the table towards the Substitute to see if he was alright.

As she stood in front of him, Ichigo's head was almost eye level with the bottom of the hems of her towel, and he felt a small trickle of blood run out of his nose.

"I-I-I-I... F-Fine!" He stammered out as he shot up quickly and turned away from the indecent Night Elf, who could only be confused by his strange behaviour. Normally he was stoic and very composed. "J-just put on some cloths!"

He walked towards the bathing room quickly and like a robot, leaving a confused Adelina to think _why_ he was so nervous all of a sudden. She never saw anyone act so strange before. When she was at Stonetalon Peak no one acted weird with her. Although they didn't like her because of her lack of talent, but they never acted strange when she just walked up when they weren't noticing. She looked down and couldn't understand what was so wrong.

All she was doing was standing there in a towel, so what was so… The thought came to her and slammed into her harder than a swing of a tree in the hands of a Mountain Giant, she was only wearing a towel. She felt her face heat up at the thoughts that must have been going through his head. He probably thought she was trying to _mate_ with him... The embarrassment returned tenfold as she thought of _that_. She brought her hands to her face and mumbled to herself.

She liked Ichigo but not in _that_ way... She just didn't think about it... She didn't think he would have minded so much... As long as she was covering herself properly no one really would care...

She quickly looked around for her cloths and remembered that she left them on the bench. She rushed over to where she left them, discarding her towel to get dressed as quickly as possible. She rushed through the door and stood in front of the bench. Looking down she searched through the cloths and found her undergarments: a brown leather pair of underwear and a bra.

She stretched the former before she raised one leg up to put them on, when she heard something. At first it was incoherent and undecipherable; she couldn't understand what it was. Then she realised it sounded like choking... But _what_ could be choking? She turned her head to see the source of the noise and froze instantly.

Sitting in the tub was none other than Ichigo, his features morphed into a mask of pure shock, his mouth gaping and his eyes doing the same in their own manner. His face was so red that it made a _strawberry_ look _pale_ in comparison.

The sound of dripping accompanied the sound of Ichigo choking on his own attempts to speak. From his nose ran a trail of blood that was dripping off his chin.

As much as he was shocked, Adelina was mortified. She had just ran into the bathing room and in complete view of Ichigo, naked in all her glory, and once more been caught trying to put her pants back on. All she could do was chuckle nervously before she grabbed all her cloths and rushed out the door. A deep blush on both their faces, and in the case of a certain Night Elf, a pair of knickers around her left ankle.

* * *

For Ichigo the shock of what just happened didn't evaporate as quickly as Adelina had left. When she had entered the room he was going to shout at her to leave, but when she was practically butt naked in front of him he kind of _lost_ his ability to speak. Also there was something more than just the fact she was naked that forced him to halt his words in his throat. As much as he didn't want to admit it, as much as it made him feel like a pervert, he had to admit Adelina looked _good_. She was beautiful in form, most definitely, her body was well toned and without a single ounce of fat on her at all, she had the figure that would likely drive any man back home wild.

Both his hands flew to his face when he thought about that. He needed to stop thinking about such things, he wasn't that kind of guy, and he didn't look at naked woman and admire their bodies when they weren't looking! _He wasn't a pervert!_

His hands slowly moved down his face and fell into the warm water; he really didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. He had enough on his mind without trying to keep naked purple woman out of them. Again he groaned as his thoughts went to places he didn't want them. He took in a deep breath before he slid down into the tub and under the water. He needed to clear his head and get something to eat and hopefully this little happening wouldn't come up again.

Ichigo raised himself from beneath the water's surface and took in a much needed breath. He felt a lot better now that he could be clean and not covered in dirt..., or sand..., or little pesky insects... He never knew the outdoors could really be like _that_. But all he had to do was put up with a horse ride from here to Theramore and then he could stay at the Inn at his convenience and not have to worry about having to trudge through swamps or walk across deserts, or fight his way through rain forests.

He lifted himself from the tub quickly and dried himself off, making sure that Adelina wasn't anywhere near the door as he did so. Having one see the other naked was bad enough, but having it both ways could cause all sorts of awkwardness.

He finished drying his hair when he noticed that there was a mirror in the room. He gazed into the perfectly made piece of timber and glass and noticed the most recent scars to accompany his already large collection. Although there were many recent scars that easily blended in with his others, there were two that stood out compared to the rest.

One on his stomach and the second on his left shoulder; both of which were delivered by the same person. Prince Tortheldrin, when the Elf knocked him to the floor and impaled Ichigo onto it and when he made his last ditched effort to finish the substitute off, only able to wound his shoulder.

As much as the wounds had been healed, they easily stood out from the rest of them. His stomach had a three inch long scar just beside his navel which had been perfectly healed but still remained in an almost freshly sealed-like state. Then there was his shoulder, the flesh had been morphed into a distorted mess, with bumps and course as sand paper it stood out uglily on his shoulder. He now knew what it was like _not_ having Orihime's healing ability at his disposal was like.

_"Kurosaki-kun…"_

He thought for a second he heard her whimpering voice in his ear. He shook his head quickly to clear the thought.

_'I will come for you.'_ Promised Ichigo.

He _will_ return home and he _will_ find her and he _will_ keep his promise! He _will not_ allow anything to stand in his way!

Quickly he got dressed and put on his tattered pants and sash before placing on the coat he picked up from Dire Maul. He would use this for now, but when he got back home he might test out that armour. It might actually come in handy when he got back. He doubted it would hold against a _Cero_ but still it might actually give him the boost he needs in a tough situation.

And _maybe_ he wanted to know if he would look any good in it.

He quickly moved out of the bathing area and saw Adelina sitting on the bed and staring off at the far wall, mumbling to herself in her own native tongue. Although he had little idea what she was saying, he could guess she was rambling about walking in on him in the bath.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity." Said Ichigo, who was right behind her, and decided to surprise her the same way she did him.

And like that time she leapt off the bed and landed on the floor. She looked up at Ichigo with a surprised expression on her face that quickly turned away and went a deep shade of pink from the previous embarrassment that had occurred in the bathing room. Ichigo see no need to embarrass the poor girl further decided to speak up and put the whole mess behind them.

"Listen; don't worry about what happened in there." Ichigo said, running his hands through his hair and walking over to the table to pick up his coin purse. "It was an accident and you probably didn't know what you were doing."

"So, you don't think I was trying to mate with you?" Asked Adelina hesitantly.

She really didn't want Ichigo to get the wrong idea that she was trying to court him and become his mate, which would really be bad in her case.

She was too young to be someone's mate; she couldn't bear a child while she was only fourteen years old. Then the thought came to her, maybe he just wanted her, the thought made her both blush and become nervous. She hoped she didn't upset him by rejecting him, he was nice but she wasn't ready for such a commitment to someone she didn't know all that well.

Evens someone like him... She couldn't do it.

As she watched his head snap towards her and the gobsmacked expression on his face told her that he had no idea that her actions could have suggested what she had just mentioned. He stood there staring at her for a moment with a faintly similar expression as he did when he was in the bathtub.

"W-W-W-W-What?! No! I-I-I don't want to become your mate!" Said Ichigo, shock clearly evident and his arms waving in front of him in a disarming gesture. He had no idea what was supposed to be going through that young girl's head but _still_! _Mating_ with her?! What hell is _wrong_ with her! "There nothing wrong with you-I mean you're a nice girl and pretty-Wait-no, your not-I…- I can't think straight!"

Ichigo slumped down onto the bench and took in a few quick breaths to calm himself down. This really wasn't what he was expecting from Adelina. He _really_ had _no idea_ about how her culture worked... _What_ kind of person asks you to be their _mate_? I mean sure that might be some sort of bond of marriage or engagement but it sounded so lewd coming from what he could see were some very civilised people... Well as _civilized_ as a _bunch of warrior woman living in the forest_.

For the next few minutes not a word passed between the two of them, both reeling from what had been seen and said.

Adelina was happy that she wouldn't have to become Ichigo's mate; after all she was way too young for that. She didn't even know _when_ she could actually do something like that. But she never really thought about it before. She _never_ really thought about _being_ with Ichigo like her mother and father were. I mean she had never really thought about it...

Never...

She has never thought about his _muscles_ and _strong_ and _handsome_ features, never...

* * *

Ichigo was recovering from the next heart attack he had suffered in the span of fifteen minutes. He really couldn't deal with this stress at the moment, he needed to just unwind and clear his head. He looked down at the purse in his hand and knew a way to do that. He hooked it onto his sash and turned to Adelina, who was still on the floor and appeared to be having a heated debate inside her head. He didn't know and nor did he _want_ to know the contents of that meeting, so he simple nudged her and she sprung back to life.

"Come on." Said Ichigo with a sigh, motioning Adelina to follow him. "Let's go get something to eat, that way we can forget about this whole thing."

Adelina could only nod to his suggestion. She needed to clear her head as did he about that whole incident. She got to her feet and followed after Ichigo out the door and down to the main dining area of the Inn. As they moved past the main desk and into the tavern they saw many more patrons inside and the aroma of cooked meet permeated the air. And as quickly as they had entered the tense air between the two quickly evaporated. Ichigo and Adelina took one of the few remaining tables and sat down facing one another, no more than a minute afterword's were they approached by a waitress.

"Hello, welcome to the Shady Rest Inn, can I get you anything?" She said politely with a smile.

Ichigo thought about it and realised there weren't any Menu's.

"Uh, what do you have?" He asked.

She paused for a moment to think before replying with a kind smile.

"We have several kinds of steak, ranging from Crocolisk, Lion, Wolf and Kodo. We serve that with some boiled potatoes and some vegetables."

Ichigo looked on for a moment and wondered what _Dinosaur_ tasted like. Although he wasn't one to experiment he decided to wing it for the moment.

"I'll have the Kodo steak, with the potatoes and the vegetables." Said Ichigo.

The waitress nodded her head and turned to Adelina.

"Um, do you have anything that isn't meat?" She smiled nervously, not sure how to talk to people offering food to them.

She didn't want to seem impolite by not accepting what they have.

"We have fish and some dried fruits if you wish, would you like the Bass?" Said the waitress, to which Adelina smiled and nodded. The waitress returned the smile and nodded. "I'll return shortly with your meals."

"Thank you." Said Ichigo.

As the waitress walked off Ichigo and Adelina descended into another awkward silence, which wasn't uncomfortable just a little boring considering.

"So… why don't you tell me about yourself?" Said Ichigo, to which Adelina looked up at him, cocking her head to the side. She had already told him that. "How about the Druids, why don't you tell me more about them?"

"Well, Druids are similar to you in a certain way..." Said Adelina. "You said Shinigami are balancers between your world and the afterlife, Druids are the same, but instead of use balancing souls, we maintain the balance of life on the mortal plane and that of the Emerald Dream."

"What is the Emerald Dream? I remember Quintis telling me about it." Asked Ichigo.

"The Emerald Dream is a completely separate dimension. In fact it is almost an exact copy of this world, except that instead of it looking like this, it is a verdant rainforest populated with all sorts of magical creatures." Said Adelina, bliss was the only word to describe the expression on her face as she spoke of it. "In fact, it was said that Azeroth once looked the same before the Great Sundering and the rise of our civilization and that of the Trolls. As it is said that it would have been Azeroth had no sentient being ever rose to alter its surface."

"Wow, like a parallel reality..." Murmured Ichigo.

That was something he _didn't_ expect. A place that shows what would have happened if no intelligent life rose up from the primordial muck. It would have been beautiful he had to admit.

"The Dream is also the domain of the Green Dragonflight, and the Aspect Ysera the Awakened." Continued Adelina, now replacing her bliss was almost reverence. "She is a mighty Drake that watches over the Dream and with her flight maintains the balance in that world, while we do the same here."

"You talk like she is your god or something..." Said Ichigo.

"We wouldn't go that far, but yes, the Druids and the Cenarian Circle venerate her, as she is a patron of life and balance in the world, and also the foster mother to Demi-God Cenarius."

"Yeah, he was the guy who taught the first Druid, Malion Stormage, or something like that..." Said Ichigo. This made Adelina frown at his improper recollection of their first and the most revered Druid in the entire world.

"His name is _Malfurion_ Stormrage; please try to remember his name. To say something like that to a Druid would be highly disrespectful..." Chastised Adelina, which made the side of Ichigo's lip curl upwards.

She was kind of funny when she tried to be strict.

"Yeah, sorry but I tend to forget names sometimes." Said Ichigo, his small smile never leaving his face as he apologised to the Druid in front of him.

Before Ichigo could continue however he felt something bump into his chair. Looking back he saw a small brown leather ball on the ground. Picking it up he didn't have to wait long to discover who had sent it his way. A boy probably no older than nine ran up to him with a big smile on his face, he had short blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Sorry mister, I didn't mean to hit your chair." Said the young boy.

But Ichigo simply smiled back at him and handed the ball back, and a moment later Lynn Hyal came around with a serving tray and handed Adelina and Ichigo's meals to them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Little James, I told you not to play inside." Said Lynn, to James who by now Ichigo realised was her son.

"It's alright, no harm done, right James?" Said Ichigo, shooting him a grin which made James do the same.

And then a third person came into the picture, a large man with dark orange hair and a goatee to match. He picked James up and placed him on his shoulder before saying.

"Hey son, what are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be playing with your friends outside?" He said, a large grin on his face that now seemed to be genetic as the son he was holding had the same one on his face.

"But I like it here, I like it when everyone sings!" Cheered the boy, several nearby patrons heard this and almost instantly a song broke out.

"He'll bring you Mead…" Said one man to Ichigo's right, raising his glass up, which was slowly followed by several others in quick succession.

"He'll bring you Beer…" Now half a dozen joined in on the song, raising their tankards high and swinging them around.

"A smiling grin from ear to ear…" The entire bar was joining in now, the jovial song making everyone laugh and joyful without the need to consume food or drink.

"He'll serve us from year to year…" Now the young boy was joining in, exclaiming the song loudly while his father laughed at his antic and his mother smiled heartily at her son.

"We call him smiling Jim!" Everyone exclaimed loudly before cheering and clanging their mugs together and taking a swig, all the while the man himself simply laughed at their antic, with his son still on his shoulder and calling for everyone to do a second verse.

Ichigo looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but smile at the atmosphere that he was in. It was peaceful and full of life, he never expected a place in the middle of a swamp and desert could be so joyful and full of life. He couldn't help but join in on the song that seemed to be a part of this tavern, and with every word he brought forth he felt his anxiety and worry lift itself from his shoulders.

* * *

It was nightfall in the town of Shady Rest, the people have returned to their homes, the stalls have been closes and the only people who haven't are those who still remain within the Inn in which the town took its name after. Still singing loud and strong and drinking and eating as if their stomach were not already filled with mead and meat. Ichigo could only compare it to a frat in a university, where everything was a party. But instead of it being a massive house crashing thing, it was more of a family-like affair. Just friends and family in a house and having a good time, chatting, talking, singing... It was great; he really never had anything like that before.

For now Ichigo and Adelina had retired to their room, having finished their dinner and had a long discussion on Druids and the Cenarian Circle. Ichigo was now trying his hand at getting his armour on. Although he wouldn't admit it out loud, he could see the benefits of having armour. It offered much more protection against slashing attacks than anything else, and also even though it might not save him from getting cut apart by a Zanpakutō it might prevent him from having his stomach slashed open by one.

But there was also the fact that he wondered if what Shikil'hi said was true about the armour. Could it really make him stronger? And also he wondered if what he would look like if he put it on. Call it childish but he wondered about it all the same.

Right now Ichigo was trying to put on the damn Leg-guards. They were simple chain-mail under steel plates, the chain-mail was easy, the plates not so much. They had to be meticulously reassembled from the ankles up. And since there were so many pieces, putting them in the right order was a pain in the ass, he hadn't even put on a single piece of armour yet and already he was ready to just give up on the whole exercise and just stick to what was left of his Shihakushō.

"What's wrong?" Asked Adelina, as she walked in to see Ichigo throwing a piece of armour plate onto the table in front of him in frustration.

"How in the hell are you supposed to put on this armour, its freaking impossible!" Exclaimed Ichigo, clearly annoyed with his inability to reassemble the armour.

Even though it was simple placing them back on where they were meant to be placed, it could be difficult sometimes.

Adelina moved over to him and looked down as the different pieces of armour. She admired the gold colour of the slightly worn metal, and she picked up the first piece and wrapped the metal around his ankle and tied it off with the leather strings along the back. Ichigo looked a little surprised by her action. He may not think she was much of a fighter, but he had no idea she was any good with putting on armour.

"Don't worry, I'll help!" she said cheerfully, before picking up another piece of armoured plate and wrapping it around his shin.

In three minutes she fully covered his left leg and was now halfway done on his right. He was honestly surprised that she knew how to assemble the armour. He guessed that using leather and plate wasn't that different from one another. Soon both legs were covered and all that was left was the codpiece. As soon as she held it up and moved to attach it, Ichigo backed up and held up his hands in an almost defensive manner.

"I-I-I'll just do that one myself!" He stuttered out, a little nervous about a woman handling him around his manhood.

She stopped momentarily to blink and then looked down at the piece of metal again and then where it was meant to go.

A blush covered her face as she handed it to Ichigo and then backed off a little. Obviously she was so focused on assembling the armour that she didn't realise that she was going somewhere a person shouldn't touch. _Especially_ someone who wasn't their mate or lover... Definitely not.

Sighing in relief that another awkward and obviously sexual situation had been avoided, Ichigo clamped the piece over his private area and looked down at the assembled piece of golden armour over his legs. He walked around a little and found that his movements weren't as restricted as he thought they would have been. The metal was light enough to allow good range of movement and also didn't weight him down as he thought it would.

With that finished he moved on to the rest of the armour. The chest-piece stared at him intently, a solid piece of steel armour, although it looked like a solid piece of work the metal was flexible enough to allow one to put it on with ease. He slid his head in through the opening and then his arms through the slot on the side. It was a bit bulky for him sadly, obviously designed to fit someone a bit large in bulk than himself. But Adelina quickly changed that. At the back and front the armour had an adjustment mechanisms that allowed the armour to be fitting almost perfectly with the user. This allowed the armour to be worn without having to have it reforged and also improved the density of the armour.

Ichigo twisted and leaned side to side to test the chest piece flexibility, like the leg-plates he was surprised by its nimbleness. Again he admired the work these people put into their armour. They were obviously more advance in armouring than the people back in his world.

Next came the shoulder-plates. The large green pieces of metal were placed on his shoulders and fitting into his armour with straps and clamps on the interior of the plates. Once they were on he could feel them on his shoulders. He wasn't surprised that they weighed a bit, but were actually lighter than they actually appeared.

He turned to his left and right and was glad that they didn't prevent him from looking over his shoulder and to his side. Having a blind spot can be deadly. A quick sent of rotations from his hand helped him test the shoulder-plates. They didn't interfere with his range of movements, as the metal plates that flowed down the lengths of his arms moved up and down and didn't interfere with his movements what-so-ever.

Next came the bracers, boots, girdle and gauntlets. Each was simple to put on and adjusted to fit, and eventually all that remained was the cloak. Which Ichigo tied to neck guard of his armour and let it flow down his back.

Ichigo stood before Adelina in his prime, like a Warrior from the times of Knights and castles. She couldn't help but stare in awe at the Warrior before her. He looked like one of those great Alliance warriors she had always heard about.

"Wow, you look so dashing..." She said, her mouth open in awe of the man before her.

Ichigo could only chuckle lightly at her compliment, he was just glad that there wasn't another rise in the awkward situation as before.

Ichigo tested out his armour as a whole and found something odd. He didn't know _how_ but he felt _stronger_. He lifted up Zangetsu, the blade had always felt like a feather in his hand but he could tell that he was definitely _stronger_ than before. He took a few swings of his Zanpakutō and found that he was right. He wasn't what one would call _faster_, but every swing had a lot more power behind it. He felt the air actually displace a little with every thrust and swipe of Zangetsu.

He guessed Shikil'hi was right, this stuff is really all that. He could only imagine what he could do if he was back at full strength and in Bankai with this stuff! He could probably go toe to toe with that Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer.

He smiled at the thought of getting that bastard back for putting his hand through his chest. Ichigo's hand subconsciously raised itself over his heart. He remembered the pain that rushed through him when he felt it pass through his chest and into his heart. The feeling of slowly going numb and passing out into darkness and then nothing.

It wasn't something he liked thinking about, the cold numbness of death that awaited him after he dies as a Shinigami. He shook of the memories of that day. He needed to keep a clear head and keep calm, when he got back he wouldn't have time to sit around and see what was going on. He would need to react immediately and get back into the fight.

Another downward swing from Zangetsu was performed; a small amount of dust was blown away from the ground beneath the blade. Ichigo had a stoic visage and his eye intently bore into the wall before him, as if staring through it and toward an occupant that resided on the other side. He had a mission and he would see it to the end.

Ichigo raised Zangetsu up and placed it behind his back, the cloth coiling around the crescent blade and holstering itself to his back. He looked back at Adelina and sent her a cocky grin. He had a goal in his mind and now he was going to see it to the end, and he knew that nothing was going to get in his way when he did it.

A startled cry from downstairs took his attention away from Adelina and towards the door. He didn't know what could have caused that. He looked towards Adelina and without saying a word both quickly ran to the door. Pulling it open they heard another startled scream before it was silenced with a hacking sound and then a loud thump.

Ichigo's eyes widened when he realized what he had just heard was a scream and then a body being hacked apart before hitting the floor. He charged forward leaving a startled Night Elf to catch up. Leaping down the stairs he landed to get to the ground floor quickly, to find the body of a man at the foot of the stairs. His back had been cut open as he had tried to flee.

He heard another scream, a young boy. His eyes widened before he charged into the room. There he found several bodies littering the floor, pools of crimson began to form around the bodies, their blood departing their now lifeless vessels.

He looked up when another scream resonated through the tavern. He looked up to see Lynn Hyal and her son Jimmy cowering in the corner as a large Tauren loomed over them with a sword in hand. It raised the blade over its head ready to strike.

"No!" Shouted Ichigo, charging forward and gaining the Tauren's attention.

The Tauren turned to see Ichigo charging forward and instantly slammed its sword down, this time its target the Substitute rather than the two defenceless family member huddled in the corner. With speed defying what thought possible, Ichigo drew Zangetsu and blocked the strike. He was surprised to find that the strain was no what he expected it to be. Tauren's blade weighed down on his Zanpakutō but it was less than that of what Drekhve could perform.

He was _stronger_.

Ichigo flung the Tauren's blade off his own and then slashed at him, forcing the Tauren to leap away or be cut in two. Ichigo forced the beast further away from the family with another swing of the sword, aiming for its stomach.

The Tauren leaped away quickly and Ichigo attacked again, this time stabbing towards its heart. Tauren raised its solid steel shield to block the attack, but regretted it as the blade made contact. The Tauren actually skidded along the ground from the force of the stab.

Ichigo attacked again and Tauren raised its shield to hold back the attack, but when it made contact, he twisted Zangetsu into a flat angle and pressed the edge against the side of the shield and flicked it outwards. The shield and the Tauren's arm shot off to the side leaving the beast wide open, which Ichigo exploited by cutting off the Tauren's arm, causing the bull to roar in pain before Ichigo delivered a severe uppercut to its chin.

The Tauren was lifted off the ground and slammed onto its back. Ichigo loomed over it with Zangetsu, and he found himself restraining himself from attacking. He didn't want to kill this person, he wasn't a killer. This Tauren was sentient and had rational thought, he couldn't kill him without it being murder. But he had killed all these people, how could he not kill him? How could he not put this bastard to death?

But if he did he would be no better than him, he would be just like him: killing for no other reason than because of anger and hate. He couldn't kill him because he wasn't human, he would likely be no better than the person he is killing then.

Before he could rationalise the situation the Tauren's body was ensnared in veins, they wrapped around its body and arms, immobilising it on the ground and keeping if from rising and continuing its attack. Ichigo looked over to see Adelina near the arch looking on in shock at the slaughter that had taken place. She took notice of the shocked and whimpering forms of Lynn and Jimmy Hyal in the corner and rushed over to them. Ichigo stood over the Tauren as she did watching him for a moment.

"Are you alright, are you hurt?" Asked Adelina, speaking with the woman and child.

They both shook their head, to which she breathed a sigh of relief.

But then the sound of explosions and screaming could be heard outside. Ichigo looked out the nearby window and saw that the entire street was on fire. Taurens were everywhere, attacking people, killing everyone who isn't of their race.

Ichigo scowled as he saw the slaughter that was taking place before him, no one deserve to die like that. He turned and looked at Adelina and saw that she was helping the whimpering family to their feet.

"Come on, we need to go!" Said Ichigo in a hasty manner, moving towards the door while Adeline led the traumatized mother and son to the door. "Adelina, I want you to take them somewhere safe. Get as far away from here as possible, and don't stop until morning, can you do that?"

"But…" She tried to start, but Ichigo pressed all the harder with his command.

"Can you do that?" Pressed Ichigo.

For a second she was hesitant to speak, she didn't want to leave Ichigo's side, and she didn't want to go around the swamp without someone who could protect her, but she knew Ichigo wanted to protect people.

She hesitantly nodded to his command. He would remain here and save as many people as he could and then he would come and find them. She brought the mother and son closer and quietly told them to stay close to her.

Ichigo went to get the door, but as soon as his hand touched the handle the door and the wall around it exploded with fire. Ichigo flew back and slammed into the desk behind him, smoke covered the now open entrance to the Inn. As Ichigo rose to his feet he saw light on the other side of the thick black smoke, but it wasn't orange or red from the fires, but blue and crackling. Too late he realised as a bolt of electricity shot out of the smoke and struck him dead centre of the chest.

He felt the electricity travel through his body and knock him off his feet. He was knocked through the far wall and into the kitchen of the Inn, and slamming through a brick support in the centre of the room he crashed into the doused oven and finally collapsed onto the floor. As he crashed into the stone floor he felt his vision go black, and then many bricks collapse on top of him with the rest of the roof above the kitchen. The last he heard was Adelina screaming his name as blackness engulfed him.

* * *

Adelina watched in shock as the wall of the Inn was obliterated by a powerful magical attack. She couldn't see through the smoke, but she saw that the attack had only dazed Ichigo. She was relieved that that was the case. But she lost her composure when an arc of electricity shot out of the smoke and collided with his chest.

She watched in muted horror as he was thrown off his feet and through the wall. The sound of many crashes could be heard before she finally found her voice.

"Ichigo!" Her exclamation had roused no reply, except from the source of the lightning. Emerging from the smoke appeared a Tauren female, wearing robes of black and green. In her hand was a staff of black wood and a silver coin headpiece.

Adelina raised her staff to attack but before she could she was brutally cast aside by a wave of wind that was brought about by a wave of the Tauren Shaman's hand. Adelina flew through the air and out the nearby window, and she crashed into a wooden building just outside the Inn. She felt it collapse on top of her, and as she landed she felt her vision go black as unconsciousness took hold. Her last sight was through the Inn window as the Tauren advanced on the mother and son with its hand alight with flame, and the sound of innocent people screaming.

* * *

The sun rose over Shady Rest the same as every other day since it was born. Slowly, with the marsh fog obscuring it from view, but the only difference in today's rise, was that the horrid smell of the bog was accompanied by another smell.

The smell of soot and cinders, of burned down houses and people, blood was also thick in the air, for it saturated the soil like a twisted morning dew. These were only a few signs of what had occurred last night: a massacre. Not a single thing moved, not a single thing stirred, all that was here were the dead, destroyed by Taurens that had attacked it without reason or provocation. And now all that remains is a smouldering remain that was once Shady Rest.

Slowly the sound of frogs croaking and insects clicking in the swamp took over that of the still burning ruins of the town, and as fast as the tragedy happened it would be forgotten by nature as if it had never transpired. But then the rustling of wood was heard over the sound of the wildlife, and outside the Inn a single hand freed itself from the confines of the wooden tomb it was imprisoned beneath.

Slowly more of the persons form became clear. Damaged green and brown leather armour came into view, a head of blue hair and long purple ears, and a long silver and gold staff. And soon above the pile off wood was the panting and injured form of Adelina.

She lost her balance and tumbled down the side of the pile and hit the soggy ground below, picking up dirt and ash on her already ruined clothing. She yelped in pain as she came to a halt, the pain of what had occurred many hours ago had not left her just yet. She slowly shifted herself onto her back and placed her hand on her injured side, a small trickle of blood could be seen soaking through her cloths and onto the ground.

She took in slow calm breaths as she focused her power into healing the wound. Slowly he felt her restoration magic seal the wound and rejuvenate her depleted body, in a matter of minutes she was ready to walk once more. But that was all she could do at the moment... Using her staff she limped her way out from the side of the Inn and to the now ruined streets.

She looked on to see that the once beautiful town had been all but reduced to ashes, all she could see were the still burning timber frames of the houses that once made up this town, and the people who once lived in it were either dead inside or dead on the street. Their bodies brutally hacked apart and their corpses burnt to cinders, leaving behind almost horrific visages of who they once were. The smell of freshly burnt bodies still hung in the air.

Adelina couldn't help but empty her stomach as the sight and smell of such an atrocity. She collapsed to her hands and knees and let what she had consumed last night be expelled from her body. She remained there panting and choking on the bile that was still rising in her throat that had yet to be expelled.

She tore her vision away from the streets and in the opposite direction, when she opened her eyes she saw the Inn.

Completely destroyed...

The first floor had been completely eradicated, leaving nothing behind but the ground floor and much wreckage. As she gazed at the sight of the building shambles, her fear of what happened to Ichigo made its way back into her mind. She quickly rose to her feet, fighting off the wave of nausea and dizziness in favour of finding him. She rushed to the Inn as quickly as her legs and staff could take her. She hobbled through where the front door once resided and was now only an opening which once had a large wall.

She moved further inside and passed the broken and charred remains of the front desk, passing through the collapsed wall which Ichigo fell through, moving around collapsed remains and charred pieces of debris trying to find where he could be.

She arrived in what was once the kitchen. It was nothing but a dump full of wreckage and soot. She looked on ignoring the thick burning smell around her, looking for any sign of Ichigo.

Then she found it, on the ground under a collapsed roof support was Ichigo's sword. The horror of what she was looking at made her want to break down and cry at that very moment.

Was he truly gone? Had the only friend she has ever had departed this world? She raised her hand to her mouth and fell to her knees, tears were welling in her eyes and the pain in her heart was starting to ache all that much harder. Her eyes still focused solely on the Zanpakutō that Ichigo wielded.

She looked at the dirty blade on the ground, covered in soot and debris and all that was clean was the white cloth attached at the back of the hilt. She followed the train of the cloth until she saw it hide underneath a pile of rubble to her right. But as she saw this, she realised something.

The cloth can extend itself between the sword and the wielder no matter the length, which means... Ichigo was under the rubble!

She jumped to her feet and rushed over, using her hands to pull aside the brick and fallen wood to find what lay beneath. Whether it be the corpse of her friend or his still breathing body, for so long she dug. She felt like she had done it for hours, but minute had only passed. So wrecked with fear over what she may find beneath the bricks she was almost hesitant to continue digging in fear of proving that Ichigo was truly dead.

She halted when she found it, the maroon red gauntlet with the white cloth wrapped around it's cuffs, and for a while she did nothing more. She simply stared at the immobile appendage before she slowly started to dig once more, revealing his entire arm, and then the green shoulder-guard, and finally a head of orange hair.

She continued to dig and dig, removing every piece of stone and dirt that covered his body. And eventually he was free from his prison of mortar. Lying face down on the ground and completely still, she used what strength she had to push him onto his back and gasped at the wound that was on his chest. His armour had taken the brunt of the attack that had sent him through the wall.

But still the charred and blackened chest-piece showed that the attack was not completely negated. He was lucky to have survived an attack like that, if he was not wearing his armour, he may have been killed when he was struck. She placed her hand on his chest-plate and she felt her heart leap when she felt the slow and even heaving within his chest.

He was breathing and alive, but she didn't know for how much longer. She needed to get him out of here, it was too dangerous to stay here. She took hold of his shoulders and dragged him out of the Inn, taking nearly twenty minutes to go fifteen feet, and she set him on the ground.

"I have to get to Theramore; I have to get him to Theramore." She kept saying to herself, like a litany she chanted it continuously, thinking of how she was to accomplish such a task. Then it came to her. "The horses!"

She rushed over behind the Inn, hoping to find the stables intact, but only found a similarly burnt down building, and not a horse within that wasn't burnt alive. She cursed and shouted into the air.

What was she supposed to do?

A neigh caught her attention; looking to her left she saw a single golden brown maned horse grazing on a small patch of turf just outside the town. Adelina stared at it for only a moment before she slowly crept up towards it.

She quickly reined in the stallions and led it back to Ichigo, grabbing a saddle and whatever reigns that had not been burnt she place them on the horse and then did the same with herself and Ichigo, who was sitting in front of her. With a quick snap of the reins the horse took off through the streets of the once populated town, passing the scorched houses and denizens. She offered a prayer to Elune for their passing, but she knew that they deserved justice for the crime that had been committed here.

She focused on the path ahead of her. She had an idea where she was going; she just hoped that she reached Theramore by nightfall. She didn't want to stay out in this swamp while Ichigo was so hurt, she hoped he woke soon.

* * *

**Reviews**

**Friaku****: Sadly he will not be gaining his duel wielding Zanpakuto in this story, there is no way for him really to do so. After all he doesn't know he is a Quincy, and can't use their abilities. So as for him awakening his powers is likely not to happen in this story as he has no way to awaken them and such.**

**Dragonskyt****: That is true and also the fact that he needs to know about it in order to understand it, and it is likely that he won't know until he is told so. Even the Old man won't tell him because as he said, he doesn't want him to become a Shinigami and will continue to suppress his Hollow. But that does not mean he won't be able to bond with his hollow side more as the story progresses.**

**Arrankor****: I see where you're coming from, with the rewrite I plan to do them justice, there will be a better story and it won't be mainly Wow centric as last time, I will try to balance it out a bit and try to focus on a smaller cast than before as not to confuse it.**

**Ichko****: Give him death knight abilities huh, cool stuff. Thanks for the review my friend, and don't worry I will bring him a lot of good loot.**

**Mandalore the Freedom****: Glad you like it and the characters. Also I am happy you agree on the Harem thing, they sometimes take away from the story.**

**Guest #1****: That is a possibility, but still there needs to be more work into than that. After all Ysera doesn't know what Ichigo really is and also doesn't know anything about Zanpakutou and Nozdormu is not the type of guy to yell out spoiler alerts.**

**A Simple Fool****: Frostmourne corrupts the body, basically it makes you an undead warrior, it steals the souls of its wielder and anyone else who touches it is usually cursed by it. But still, as this story goes I'll work on it to see if it can be done. Thanks for encouragement but since there will be a rewrite I intend to make it better.**

**Ichigo Undead****: The Forsaken are something that Ichigo will have a hard time with, since most of them are alive and not looking to die so soon, most of them won't be willing to simply keel over… again. He may view it as a soul trapped, but them, they see it as a chance to live again and actually do things that they did not finish or wish to do. Mainly to get revenge on those who made them this way and then make a kingdom for themselves.**

**Everwolf****: Ichigo never lost his Bankai, he simply cannot materialise it due to three factors that is causing problems with his power.**

**Nick terakidan****: I don't really think Frostmourne is a sword shaped hollow, it's a demonic sword that feeds on the souls of the living, but still food for thought.**

**13 Silent Battlecries****: As for diviation in the story, yes there will be, several in fact, but also when the Thousand Year Blood War comes along, I intend to make several changes as well as in the Fullbringing Arc. Frostmourne is still on the fence for me, I still need to read up on it and see if it is possible to cleanse it.**

**Quincy Druid****: You have a very good observation skill my friend; I'll take that into account.**

**Micwil13****: I see, well don't worry, I will be making drastic changes to the story both in plot and in story progression.**

**NIX'S WARDEN****: It's kind of the same reason you don't use a rocket launcher on a guy with a knife, it's not needed to kill him and it just waists ammo.**

**McCabeRz****: My reasons for Ichigo's weakness is because of three main factors, if you and several other wish to know of these factors I will post it with the next chapter as to why he is weakened in his current state. Also these reasons relate to a previous question I received about Ichigo being able to interact with the world and how people can see him and he can eat food.**

**ZeroAcception****: He would have won yes; constant travel and low resources in a desert environment can be hazardous even to a Shinigami. As for the next fan girl. That is going to be a few chapters away sadly. But don't worry, she will come along soon enough and will be part of his wondrous adventures.**

**RefleR****: Your thing about him becoming a demon infused Hollow, I will tell you this, and it has merit and the possibility of becoming true.**

**S.R.457****: Damn right, I am saving that card for a big moment however, a very big moment.**

**Leapinglemur****: Can I ask, is the game good, I was thinking of picking it up.**

**Guest #2****: Ichigo and Tyrande, Malfurion would be very angry if Ichigo tried to move in on his love, very angry, like The Day After Tomorrow Angry.**

**Apocalyptian Scribe****: Weapons in warcraft can contain the essence of other beings; Thunderfury has the essence of Thunderann. Also, I would never have it that he forgets the weapon that is bonded with his soul; he would never forsake it, but also, when a chance to become stronger comes your way. What do you do?**

**Raximus****: I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.**

**TeninChwang****: But sadly he doesn't know Kido or anything else, he is simply a guy who learns on the fly, but without a grasp of something he can't learn anything. As a Shinigami he has only one Shinigami art down, Swordplay. No Kido or anything other art, not even Hakudo.**

**As for his from, I can explain that if you wish. But only if you really wish it so.**

**Don't worry, she will start coming into the fold soon enough.**

**Frostmourne is a demonic blade created by the Legion to imprison Ner'zhul in the frozen throne, what part of that does not mean it is a corrupted weapon, an evil weapon if it is a better word.**

**Grg213****: The reason for his weakness stems from three simple facts about him, they can be explained if you wish.**

**Ultima-owner****: Yeah, but not as much as fish-men.**

**Tundrafire****: I can tell you it is Chapter 17, a long ways away sadly.**

**MrNeedsToRemoveAllFavs****: Ah my mistake. Also about telling time, usually a watch is good – I kid – Also that, sadly I have no answer, it could be said that there may be shifts in the Nether as time passes. I don't remember contradicting him about not being able to fight someone.**

**Also dropping out of Bankai, it is stated in the Wiki that when a Shinigami loses consciousness that his Zanpakuto reverts back to its sealed state, or in Ichigo's case, Shikai state. No was around that my friend. Also after he was killed by Ulquiorra the first time his Bankai evaporated after a short time. And also he was dead only for a few seconds, so it is likely that the energy never dispersed as quickly. Or possibly it was used as a plot arc so that he could become a Vesto Lorde. So when he entered it, the sudden change of dimensions caused him to black out, and therefore he lost his Bankai, get it.**

**Culaio****: His skills are good, but they are not refined like an experience or schooled fighter, more like someone who adapts to the moment and analyses the enemy he is fighting and compensates for it. Glad you enjoyed it.**

**Undeen****: Your logic on this is very interesting; build up his reputation of him and his weapon so that it becomes a legend similar to Jaina's staff and Doomhammer. A very interesting idea.**

**Zangetsu****: A brilliant deduction my friend.**

**Zathol****: what a mouthful. He will be considered like Jaina, someone that they can rely on in a specific time of need but will not openly go to him to seek that aid.**

**As for the Dragons, yeah they can be a pain sometimes, since they are very prideful and do not work well with mortals and usually view them in a low light. As for helping them, he can I suppose, but to cleanse them would be difficult as their corruptions stems from an old god and Shinigami mainly cleanse spirits rather than that kind of corruption.**

**Thank you for your personal view on my story and why it is not working out, I intend to take this into account and improve on it. Your account is detailed and reasonable; I thank you for answering it for me so I can improve on the rewrite.**

**Arms of Loneliness: Thank you.**

**Infinite Freedom: Interesting logic there.**

**Rodmus87: Of course, you can't go to war with the man and not kill him at the end of it.**

**Halitar: I'm glad you like it; also I will work on seeing about getting Frostmourne for him.**

**Eternal Nothingness: Now that is going to be a secret.**

**Dante 101: Two positives remarks, a neutral comment and a negative statement – but since it is directed at my beta it's all good. If you want I can create Character Bios for all the characters on my Profile. Both worlds exist in the same universe and space time, so a year on one planet equals a year on the other, no matter the rotational period of each planet. Ichigo will get back, but how long will it take for him to do that? Control is more than just asking you Zanpakuto to do it for you, you need to learn it yourself, tone down you power and control it rather than let it run rampant.**

**Fall of the Highborne: No their appearance, in fact since they were driven from Dire Maul, they're gonna have to see about finding a new home, where though, we don't know.**

**Piterio: If this is about Tortheldrin, he is over ten thousand years old and has been feeding off large amounts of demonic energy for that time; his power is definitely up there. Although Ichigo didn't go Bankai, he could still keep up with him.**

**Meech Macko: Frostmourne, not gonna lie, it may be a tall order, might actually think about doing the poll again later on, like in a few weeks or maybe months. Also about the harem, totally agree with you there. As for his father, depending on the situation back home, he may not be able to.**

**Astraljean: Thank you.**

**Guest #4: Don't worry she gets better over time, after all she is only fourteen.**

**Guest #5: Yes that is correct, she is a Restoration Druid. That could be funny to describe. Also if they met it would be quite humorous. Might make an Omake here and there to show what it could be like.**

**Dalulzing: BY FIRE BE PURGED! See that! Got Ragnoros to purge it, with fire!**

**Aspect Kurosaki: That may be true; he will be a son of two worlds really.**

**One Room Free: Ah yes the one room gag, always a funny thing will eventually come to that, and then, fun stuff begins. Trust me, it will be funny.**

**Shark: Of course, you never mock her, she is scary.**

**Five Armies: Of course, how do you think World War 2 got really into it? Britain, America and Russia steam rolled the Germans.**

**Saddas74: Yeah, I'm glad you liked them. I hope you liked the antics in this chapter as well.**

**Lord Sigfry: Don't read so close then, and thank you not so much for the complimentary flame.**

**Tsundere: A harpy-harem clan after him, got the sex would be violent as it would be endless. And Tyrigosa haha, that would be an interesting pairing. But don't worry he will get his due. Just remember, its not about getting enough love from many, but love from a person you cherish as well.**

**Moons: The moons and Elune have been asked about many times for this story, I have to say that Ichigo getting blessed by Elune may not be as far fetched as some may seem. After all Varian is the avatar of Goldrinn, an Ancient Guardian, so who says the Goddess may not take an interest in making him her champion.**

* * *

**Well, that's a wrap, hope you enjoyed it, till next time. Regards Jimmyjamster728.**


	13. Chapter 12: Theramore

**Hello everybody, my god today is a BIG day, I tell you why because. I have updated all my stories. That's right, updated Transcendence, United Against the Legion of Flames and Lord of Warcraft. I mean how I could top that. Well I have it for you. Transcendence Fanon Wiki. That's right I have made a wiki for this story, with all your favourite characters. Adelina, Drekhve, Turok, Rai, and even Ichigo. Yeah!**

**That's right I have created a wiki. Simply type in Transcendencefanon wiki and you'll find it and if not come to my profile and find it there.**

**Now this is getting real. I have my own wiki now; soon I may even have my own Anime… PHYCHE.**

**Any who, on with the story. Enjoy and Review**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 12: Theramore**

**Dustwallow Marsh**

The hot humid air and vaporous stink that spewed from the swamp was intolerable. Anyone who had never lived in such climates before would have asked those who did: how they can survive in such a place without going mad or dying? And even if you do live in it, you wonder why you are still living there.

But even so people still live and make this place their home, some for their entire lives. Thriving off the humid air and muddy water teeming with life, but those are usually creatures that are as slippery and filthy as the very waters they reside within. But some have made this place their homes for better or for worse.

The people of Theramore make this marshland their home, and do so by putting their glorious city as far away from that hellish swamp as they could. Thus they built their city atop a small isle off the coast of Dustwallow Marsh, and for many years now, many have been calling it their home.

But the fact that the city was on the very edge of the swamp did little to help the already grim mood that was affecting Adelina. She had been riding through the marshes of Dustwallow for the entire day and now through the early night. She was lucky however, for as night began to fall she had found a well paved path that had not been hidden under moss or that sank into the mud.

She thanked Elune for such small mercies.

There was only one place that this path could lead them, as there was only one other settlement in this horrid smelling hell hole of heat and mosquitoes. And Adelina was following it to the only destination in her mind: Theramore. For three hours she followed the path on horseback, moving at a brisk trotting pace, not willing to gallop and risk losing the path in the pitch black darkness. Her only indication that she was still on the path was the sound of the horse's hooves clacking on the stone.

But that gave her only so much reassurance, for even on the path she was still at the mercy of the beasts that make this place their home: Murloc's, Naga, Swamp Beasts, Large Arachnids and even Black Dragons are said to roam these places. She may not have much in the way of offensive Magic, but she could still send something to force them away and try to escape.

But even though she was ready for a right she could not risk one, not in this place. It would draw too much attention, bad attention. Also the fact she was trying to keep Ichigo from falling off the horse ever since she began this ride was not lost to her either. He was still out cold and would occasionally come back into consciousness but would immediately loose it and fall limp into her chest.

She felt Ichigo stir in front of her, muttering incoherently about something she couldn't understand. Apart from his brief moments of consciousness he would speak in his sleep, which was only thing that showed he was still alive. She had tried to heal him while riding but it was hard to steer the horse through the swamp, keep Ichigo from falling from the horse and heal his injuries as the same time. And if she wanted Ichigo to survive she would need to get to Theramore before something decides to try and make a meal out of them.

But she had no idea how much longer it would be before they arrived. She couldn't reach in for the map or even read it, she couldn't stop, and she couldn't even tell if she was heading in the same direction she started when she first got on this road. She felt a grim feeling welling in her gut, this is possibly the worth situation she has ever been in, and likely the last.

As her eyes darted around looking for anything she noticed something. Pulling the reins she halted the horse, looking closer she could see feint lights in the distance. Golden orbs of fire could be seen spaced out over a small distance, she could also hear something faintly in that direction. She almost cheered when she heard people talking, but stopped herself just to make sure that they were human and to make sure nothing nearby was looking for any late night meal.

She moved her stallion a little faster forward.

As she rode closer to the lights she had to strain less to see and hear them. There was laughing, she could see small shadowy silhouettes around a large bonfire and the smell of meat over the stench of the marshes reached her nostrils, filling them with the feint aroma of cooked Crocolisk. Even if she wasn't particularly fond of cooked meat, it was more preferred than the marshes any day.

And as she drew closer she could make out their language, common, although the most shared in Azeroth it still didn't mean they were human. But that changed when see noticed silver armoured soldiers around a small bonfire in front of a human constructed watch tower. She quickened her pace and moved towards them. Her action didn't go unnoticed; soon laughing stopped and the guards were on their feet and moving to intercept her.

"Hold! Who goes there?" Called one of the soldiers with long blonde hair and a moustache, on his back was a large axe with blue runic markings.

She watched as he reached for said weapon and his gauntleted hand wrapped around the shaft of the large axe.

"Please, I need to reach Theramore! My friend, he's injured!" Adelina responded, quite frantically they noted.

Another guard then brought forth a torch to see them more clearly, and they found a young Night Elf on top of a white stallion with a teenage human in front of her, unconscious.

"What happened?" Asked the guard with the Axe, examining the boy as he waited for a response from Adelina.

His armour was damaged, a large scorch mark was present along the abdominal area of his armour and he appeared to be covered in cinders. Whatever happened to him wasn't a poisoning or a Crocolisk attack.

"We were attacked! Shady Rest was attacked!" Adelina cried out to them, shocking the Guard out of his examination. He moved forward and demanded to know what happened, his hand wrapping around the reins of the horse to prevent her departure until he knew. "I don't know. We were lucky to have survived, but I only saw two Tauren before I was trapped under a collapsed building and when I woke, the entire town... it was... it was gone."

The soldiers looked shocked by the news of the apparent demise of Shady Rest, some even looked fearful at the mention that it was Tauren that caused the destruction of the Inn. If what she says was right, and then it was likely the Horde has invaded their borders and broken the non-aggression pact.

"Take the road, keep moving south. You will reach Theramore in twenty minutes if you ride hard." The soldier said. Adelina nodded her head taking in the path ahead. She could see some lights off in the distance, small blinking light in the distance... Like stars. Obviously Theramore. "You need to warn the Guards. Get to the city and alert them of the attack, the main Barracks is there, tell them what happened. Go!"

Adelina didn't waste a single moment longer than needed before she took off, galloping into the darkness, keeping her eyes set on the city ahead and her ears on the sound of stone meeting hooves beneath her. She was close now; she would get Ichigo somewhere safe where he could recover and warm the people of the attack on Shady Rest. Adelina hoped that when Ichigo woke up he would be alright. What happened at Shady Rest was something no one should go through, even she couldn't help but feel despair over what happened. But with everything happening, she was at least keeping herself occupied.

She could hear Ichigo continue to murmur in his sleep, he kept talking about someone called 'Orihime'... She pushed that aside, she needed to get to the city and get him the attention he need, and then tell the Guards what happened.

* * *

When the Night Elf and Human teenagers took off, two of the guards moved away from the rest of the group, both dressed in identical armour. Although the rank between them was evident with the unique emblem pinned to the hem of his tabard, when they were out of earshot from the other guard they spoke.

"Get to Theramore, tell the Lieutenant what happened, and make sure you get back here quickly, we don't want to raise suspicion." Said the first man, a sergeant based on his badge, to which the second guard nodded before charging off into the darkness.

The rest of the guards were none the wiser to the disappearance to one of their men.

* * *

Adelina halted in front of the Inn, a very large building which was two stories in height and similarly designs and built like the Shady Rest Inn. She just hoped that they had enough money inside their pouch to at least keep him comfortable for the night. Adelina dismounted from the horse and started pulling Ichigo off as gently as she could.

She struggled to keep him stable as she leaned him off, hoping to lower him to the ground slowly. But sadly when she tried it resulted in him falling from her grip and then crashing into the ground with an audible thud. Adelina was motionless above Ichigo for a moment. Only when he actually hit the ground was she brought out of her stupor. She was on her knees and looking him over to make sure he was alright, he was in bad shape as it was and didn't need any more life threatening injuries.

She tried to lift him up but found it nearly impossible. The best she could do was lifting his front up and drag him towards the wall of the Inn, leaning him against the wall. She made sure he was at least comfortable before she rushed inside to try and look for help.

As soon as she rushed through the door and atrium, she found a large open area, both the main bar and dining area of the building. While behind the bar was another room, likely the kitchen or storeroom. There was a large fire on the far left wall with a few patrons warming themselves in front of it. In the middle and right-hand side of the room were several tables, which also had several patrons drinking and eating.

Adelina gazed around the bar looking for someone who could help her. She tried to speak with several patrons that walked past her but they brushed passed before she could utter a single word. She continued to look around to find someone who would listen to her. Eventually Adelina saw an athletic built woman with an eye-patch over her right eye behind the bar; she was cleaning a mug and quietly minding her own business. Adelina rushed over towards the bartender to ask for some help.

* * *

The bartender, also known by patrons as Bartender Lillian, opened her only remaining eye and looked at the Night Elf, who was sprinting toward her like a Crocolisk was on her arse. Although rather amusing she could barely understand why she was rushing over in such a manner. She would have shouted at her to stop running through the Inn, but in only a second she was standing in front of the bar and leaning against it with both hands and her face showing she was in urgent need of something.

_'Never thought someone would need a drink so bad.'_ She thought to himself, seeing as she was here she might as well as ask what kind of drink she wants.

Lillian tried as such but didn't get far.

"Hello, how can I..."

"Please, I need your help!" Adelina said frantically, halting the barkeep from asking what kind of drink she wanted. "My friend is hurt, I need to get him into a bed and treat him."

"Alright, alright calm down, where is he?" Asked Lillian, putting down the mug and wash cloth.

Although she may appear brazen and rude sometimes she wasn't one to simply let a person who was hurt simply stay that way.

Quickly the Night Elf took her hand and led her out of the Inn, all the while several patrons asked for more beer, which was halted when she roared at them to shut up of she would throw them out. They quickly quieted down, not wanting to annoy their only source of alcohol.

Adelina eventually led Lillian outside the Inn and to the still form of Ichigo, whose head was drooped forwards and covered in cinders and mud, which surprised the Barkeeper of the state in which this young man was in.

"Get his arm; we have a spare room upstairs." Lillian said, moving forward to check on him.

Lillian saw he was breathing and his pale complexion was due to the thin layer of ash on his skin. She put his arm over her should and hoisted him up, while Adelina did the same with his other arm.

The next few minutes were spent dragging Ichigo through the Inn, which caused several lewd shouts from drunkard asking if they were leading him upstairs for a good time, which resulted in those people getting their asses kicked as soon as Lillian came back downstairs. Eventually they conquered the stairs and the narrow doorway to their new room, and eventually they were able to plant him on a bed.

Adelina thanked Lillian for her help, but that thank you was halted when Lillian quickly pointed out that as guest in the city they would need to pay for the room. Quickly pulling out Ichigo's pouch and withdrawing seven gold coin, she handed them to Lillian who didn't bat an eye at the substantial sum she had been given. She told Adelina it was enough for the week and any meal they want, but that would do little good if she didn't get Ichigo some medical attention.

"Are there any doctors in Theramore?" Asked Adelina.

Lillian turned towards the Druid and for a moment she was quiet. There wasn't any official doctor in the city, although there was that man... He was a trauma surgeon, but he _was_ technically a doctor.

"Yes, you can seek out Doctor Gustaf VanHowzen; he usually stays in the barracks to treat the men." Said Lillian, before she continued on her way to the door and finished as she passed through it and out of view. "You won't see him now, try in the morning."

* * *

Adelina watched as the Bartender quickly retreated out of view and went back to tending the bar, she sighed to herself.

Today had been a really hard day for her.

Adelina walks over to the still unconscious Ichigo and looked at his scrunched up face. Even while comatose he was still scowling. She would have made fun of it, but she couldn't do that while he was like this. She had seen him go through so much pain and trauma that she didn't even allow herself to joke while he was in such a condition. She needed to make sure he was alright first.

But to do that she needed to make sure he was out of mortal danger and to do _that_ she would need to remove his armour to see what kind of treatment he would need before she started.

She unbuttoned his cloak on his breastplate, then neatly folded it and placed it on the bedside cabinet. She unstrapped the pauldrons and then removed the gloves and bracer from his hands and wrists and placed them beside the cape. She then had to work away at removing his breastplate; sadly she was having difficulty with this single piece of armour. It fitted almost too well on his body, and because of that it was impossible to get off his broader chest while it was folded to fit him perfectly. But she was able to fasten the armour to allow it to return to its original size and shape so it could be removed.

After five minutes of fighting she was able to remove it, sliding it over his head and his arms out and he was bare-chested now. Now Adelina could see the newest wound to his collection that decorated his torso. His stomach now had a circular burn mark, no bigger than a coin, which spread out like his midriff in an almost explosive pattern.

Had it not been for the armour he was wearing, he would have likely been killed from having his internal organs liquefied and a massive hole though his stomach and out through his back, the though alone scared her a little. Adelina quickly shook off those thoughts, he would make it through this, he was strong and he had survived against worse than this. He would just take a little time to recover and then he would be back on his feet.

She removed to his belt and then to his boots, both coming off with little difficulty. She placed them on the cabinet with the rest of his armour, but she decided to forgo the removal of his legguards, they were likely covering up more private areas he wish to remain… private. Even with the injuries and state he was in, Adelina couldn't help but feel blood rush to her cheeks.

She _really_ was a weird one.

She composed herself and sat next to her only friend and began healing him, slowly she watched as her magic did its work.

While healing the wound over his stomach and removing the burns that had accumulated over his body, she could tell that even with her healing he would still be unconscious for a while. That lightning attack may not have killed him, but it severely wounded him. He would likely be out for the next few days at most, but she hoped he would be up soon. She didn't know what to do in this city; she was just following his lead.

She _knew_ he needed to speak with Jaina Proudmoore, but she had no idea how she was meant to tell her about Ichigo, or how to ask her if she could send him back home through a portal. She didn't even know who Jaina Proudmoore was aside from the ruler of Theramore or even what _looked_ like!

But these thoughts were not the only ones going through her mind.

About what she should do about the attack on Shady Rest? She knew she couldn't make up for the lives that were lost there, but maybe she could see about helping them until Ichigo was better. She knew that he would go out of his way to help people, and even though he wasn't a vengeful person she knew he would do everything in his power to see about making those who massacred everyone pay. He had done it before at Dire Maul, gone out of his way to help the Horde stop a Demonic force from taking over the city.

But now that he was here...

Would he go out of his way to just go after these people when he was so close to home?

Adelina stopped her contemplating when she noticed that her Magic had fully removed any visible wounds. But then she noticed that he was covered in ash, mud and cinders.

She left his side for a moment, and returned with a basin full of water and a wash-cloth over the rim. He may be healed but he was still dirty. She rung the cloth in the bowl and then wiped the mud and charcoal from his arms. She had trained not only in Magic but also keeping a patient clean and out of risk of infection.

But as her mind wondered as she performed the routine task of cleaning his body, she felt herself admired the well-toned muscles in his arms. They were thick and firm, even when relaxed it felt like she was washing the dirt off stone. She moved from his arm to along his shoulder and then to his chest. She felt his lean chest through the cloth. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him at all; he was in a perfect shape. His body was like a sculpture, perfect in form and rock hard...

As soon as these thought rung through the young Night Elf's head she stopped abruptly and looked on.

A deep blush formed on her face at the thoughts going through her head. She wasn't meant to be thinking about things like that.

She wasn't meant to be having such thoughts about men.

She wasn't meant to think of Ichigo in that way.

She dropped the rag and put her hands on her face and turned away from the Substitute, rocking from side to side as she wallowed in the fact that she was flaunting over his unconscious bod. Then she had another thought: maybe her subconscious was going to try and make her _do_ something to his unconscious body?

She swayed some more before she decided that she should leave the Inn and go to the Barracks and tell the Commander about Shady Rest. At least to just get the impure thoughts that were running through her head out. Quickly she got up from the side of the bed and moved towards the door, passing through the threshold before shutting it and putting key to lock and leaving.

She rushed down the stairs, trying to get the indecent thoughts out of her head and focus on getting to the Barracks, but as she did notice that there were several people limping out of the Inn, some being supported by others. She looked over to the slightly fuming Barkeeper behind the bar to see her cleaning a mug. Although albeit a bit roughly, obviously her threat about kicking their asses was not an empty one.

Adelina walked over to the female barkeep, whoy looked at her approaching from the corner of her eye before going back to cleaning her mug. When Adelina stood before Lillian again she didn't make any notion of acknowledging Adelina's presence until she spoke.

"Excuse me." Adelina asked Lillian, who looked up at the Night Elf and raised an eyebrow waiting for her obvious question. "Do you know where the Barracks is? I need to go there."

"Yeah, it's just down the road, south specifically. Just follow the road and you will see it." Lillian droned out, too tired to deal with anyone after the ass-whooping she just delivered. "Why you going there anyway? The doctor won't be up at this hour."

Adelina got a little nervous about telling her why she needed to go there, she could see the panic on the Guard's face at that tower when she mentioned Shady Rest, and if she just told her she could spread the word and everyone inside the city could panic at the thought of a Horde attacking the city. But what could she tell her to alleviate anything that sounded too suspicious? Maybe she could tell her only what she needs to know; maybe something about her friend and that she is just going to clear her head?

Yes, that could work...

"Oh, it's nothing really, I just have several impure thoughts in my head because of how well toned my friend upstairs is and I need to go to the barracks and talk to the guard so I can get rid of those urges." Adelina said while rubbing the back of her head, before she walked off.

She let out a sigh as she moved towards the door. She just hoped that she didn't blow it, she wasn't a very good liar, luckily the way she constructed that lie did the job of distracting the bar maiden from the way it was said.

As Adelina turned and left towards the exit she missed Lillian's eyebrow shoot through the roof, her jaw become slack and the beer mug hitting the ground after being dropped. The barkeeper stared at the back of the retreating Night Elf in surprise and mostly shock as the statement she had just said and the almost obviously subtle meaning behind it.

_'What the fuck…?'_ Were the only words that could correctly form in the one eyed female Barkeep head, as she stared gobsmacked at the Night Elf who was strolling towards the door.

* * *

Adelina walked through the dark and desolate streets of Theramore, looking at the small city and the many different structures that made up its design.

But she found it less of a city and more of a military stronghold.

A large Inn to provide accommodation was the only thing that appeared to offer accommodations, but apart from that this place looked built for war rather than for a place to stay and live a comfortable life. She could see from the number of stalls and the number of different buildings and likely the docks that this place was bustling with activity when the sun was up, but it was likely that many slept either in the Barracks or the Inn.

She also noted that there were many war machines present that appeared to be ready for use as well, such as Ballista's and what appeared to be Dwarven Siege Tanks. Her assumptions must have been right: this place is a stronghold; everyone else must simply be workers who help in maintaining it. She walked along the path and eventually found a small intersection that lead right towards a large square stone structure with four towers on each corner. She walked towards the structure that was likely the Barracks, and as she reached the entrance she was halted by a man in armour.

"Halt, state what is your business here?" He ordered.

Adelina was halted for a moment and decided to tell them about what happened, but before she could another man appeared and made himself known with a slight cough.

"Private, that is enough." Said the man, to which the 'Private' jumped to attention and saluted.

"Lieutenant Caldwell, Sir!" The Private exclaimed.

Caldwell was a man of average height and had long straight auburn hair and a goatee, dressed similar to the rest of his men aside from the pin attached to his tabard signifying his rank. He nodded to the Private and dismissed him. Then Caldwell turned to Adelina and smiled in a very charming manner.

"I received word that you wish to speak with me about some important matter?" Asked Lieutenant Caldwell, to which she nodded and was about to speak, before he turned and beckoned her to follow before speaking once more. "Come; let speak inside, it's much warmer there."

Adelina nodded and followed after the Lieutenant. She entered through the stone entryway and was led through several long and narrow passageways, passing several patrols before finally ended up in a small office at the base of one of the stronghold's tower.

Caldwell took a seat at the desk and motioned Adelina to do the same. She followed his command and sat opposite of the Lieutenant and waited for him to speak. He leaned back in his chair and let out a content sigh, which confused her. Did he not know of what had actually happened, or did he think that what she told him was not important or relevant? She didn't have long to think on this before he spoke.

"I have received word from the Sentry Point that you have information of an attack on Shady Rest, is that true?" Asked Caldwell, to which Adelina nodded her head.

"Yes, Shady Rest was attacked last night." Adelina explained. She watched as his features momentarily changed from neutral to worry. "I was there when it happened, I was inside the Inn when it was attacked, but I was only able to see two people before I was incapacitated."

"I see; that could tell us exactly who attacked and their possible motive." Caldwell said in a low voice, before he raised it and his head to ask another question. "Who was behind the attack?"

"I don't know for certain, all I know is that there were two Tauren inside the Inn. I didn't see what happened outside; I was buried under some rubble before I could see who else was in the town. But there were more, I could hear people screaming and see the building being burnt down." Adelina spoke, her voice dropping as she mentioned the fate of the small town.

She could remember the many people that were alive and happy the same day they arrived there only hours before the attack.

"Tauren you say? That is troubling news." Caldwell murmured, his voice lowering again. Although one could tell that he was deeply disturbed by this, but the fact that it was because of the mention of Tauren rather than the fate of the villagers was strange. "Tell me, were there any other survivors? I was told you had someone with you."

"Yes, my friend Ichigo, he is at the Inn resting." replied Adelina.

"Is there anyone else? Are you certain you are the only survivors?" He pressed, leaning forward slightly and taking on a demanding presence as he tried to get the information out of her.

"N-No, I didn't see anyone else; me and Ichigo are the only survivors." Said Adelina, her voice quivering as the cold hard truth that so many had died and both she and Ichigo were powerless to stop it.

"I am sorry." Said Caldwell; his face taking on a gentle expression as he smiled at her. "I know that it must be hard, but we have to make sure. If there are any others, they must be found and helped before anything happens to them."

"Yes, I understand." Replied Adelina. She could understand him asking so forcefully, lives could still be at risk and anyone that could be saved _must_ be saved as quickly as possible. "What are you going to do?"

"I will speak with my superiors about this. For now I want to you remain quiet about the events that transpired at Shady Rest. To release such information could cause panic." Said Caldwell. Thinking over the entire matter in his mind, trying to come with a possible solution to this. "I will call for you when I need to speak with you again. Are you staying at the Inn with your friend…? Ichigo, was it?"

"Yes, I and he are staying together." Adelina replied.

"Alright, thank you for informing us. We will do everything in our power to locate these attackers. For now please return to the Inn and wait, we will inform you later on." Said Caldwell. Adelina nodded and got up from her seat and moved to the door, but as she reached it he called out to her. "Which room are you currently renting at the moment?"

"Room 1-23." Said Adelina.

"Alright, if I need to speak with you, I will send over one of my men." Said Caldwell, leaning back in his chair with a small smile on his face. "Also, do not tell anyone about this, there may be panic if you do so, everyone is on edge as it is with living in these parts."

Adelina nodded before turning around and walking out. As she passed through the door and moved out of view the smile on the Lieutenants face dropped and a grim frown appeared.

He was not happy about this. He had been hoping that this would not come to light so soon, if it had stayed a secret for at least a few days he could have come up with a cover story easily... But now he was in trouble.

From what that idiot Pavel Reethes told him about the attack, there were no survivors to tell the tale, and now there were two survivors and could now point fingers at a possible enemy. They could possibly know more than their letting on. He needed to gain control of this situation quickly before it escalated. If Jaina thinks that the Horde attacked the settlement then she will likely look into it and discover that their attack wasn't an unprovoked attack. He couldn't mention the Tauren, that would indicate the Horde was involved and he needed people to think it was anything but that. He couldn't allow them to discover what was going on inside the town or his involvement in its activities.

He could probably pull it off as a Centaur attack, after all who could tell the difference between two hooves prints from two different animals. But he would need to remove some loose ends. First, the two survivors and then that damn deserter Reethes. As soon as that bastard told him what happened he went off the reservation and disappeared, taking a post at North Point Tower and never turning up.

And now Caldwell has no idea where he is or what he is doing, but as long as that deserter stays lost he won't be a problem. He needed to report this incident to Captain Vimes. If he didn't then the captain at the outpost will and when they start asking why the Elf didn't say anything they could become suspicious. But he would need to word the report carefully as to not let on the Horde's involvement.

After all a Centaur attack could easily be passed off as a tragedy than a Horde attack, because unlike those half horsed animals, the Horde attacks when someone threatens them. Then they would look for what was the threat.

"Private Hallan." Called Caldwell. A moment later a young woman with short cut reddish-brown hair, in form fitting leather armour and a Theramore Guard tabard walked into his officer. She folded her arms behind her back and stood at attention. "I need you to keep an eye on these two survivors."

"Yes, Sir." She said with a nod, her voice carrying no emotion.

"Good." Said Caldwell, who leaned back in his chair before continuing. "And see about bringing in that contact of yours, he deals best in things where people meet unfortunate and tragic ends."

"Yes, Sir." She said dispassionately.

She knew what her superior officer was asking her to do; he wanted her to bring in her assassin college from the Fray Island. If he wanted him here then he wanted what happened to be done quietly. Even though she loathed Pirates, they had several dealings with them when it came to keeping their noises out of Theramore. The Pirates won't attack their ships and they won't come for their heads nor would they interfere in any illegal activities they are performing.

"Also, I need you to send this report to Captain Vimes, tell him nothing. Just give it to him and he will eventually stumble upon it. By then I should have a way to conceal this unfortunate setback, and those survivors will be made permanently unavailable for questioning." Said Caldwell.

The Private nodded while taking the missive from her superior's hand and saluted before moving off an out of the office to carry on with her duties.

Caldwell was brooding inside his office, trying to figure out how best to deal with this situation; he would need to think of something quickly. By morning or midday at the latest the Captain will be informed and then he would need to clarify this incident. He had little time to figure this out, but he was adamant that if he simply made the girl disappear and the boy die of seemingly natural causes, then he could easily cover up this whole incident. Or at least remove the threat of them being uncovered.

* * *

Adelina unlocked the door to her room and found it the same way she had left it: Ichigo was still on the bed with all his armour save his leggings removed.

She walked over to him, tired and wanting nothing more than to fall down and sleep. She walked over to the basin at his bedside and threw some water on her face to try and relieve herself from some of the weariness. It helped but only so much.

She walked over to the table in the middle of the room and moved over to Ichigo's satchel. One by one she removed all the items inside the magically imbued bag: his potions, his map and a single slice of bread, which is all that remained of their food before their arrival in Shady Rest.

She sighed to herself and bit down into the slight tough food and chewed. It was the only thing she had and she didn't want to go through the night with a completely empty stomach. She would probably need to pick up some more food tomorrow.

Pulling out the coin purse and pouring the entire contents of the pouch on the table she counted all the coins. She counted fifty one coins of gold and seventy of silver, just seven coins short of what they had back in Shady Rest.

As she took another bite of the bread she pulled the final object out of his satchel, Zangetsu. Ichigo's massive cleaver like Zanpakutō, she had to use both hands to pull the massive blade free and even then it still dragged along the floor. She wondered how he could wield something so large. It felt like she was trying to lift a Mountain Giant! She dragged it along the floor and pulled it up onto the table, letting out a breath. She looked at the weapon of black and silver. She had to admit it was a beautiful weapon, finely crafted and had no malformation on it what-so-ever. She could see that it actually darkened the area around it with its very presence, it was almost surreal to think that this weapon was sentient and had a mind of its own, a _soul_ of its own!

She could only imagine the world that he comes from: full of danger and the supernatural. Although Azeroth had that, sadly there was not much happening over the last four years since the fall of Archimonde at the battle of Mount Hyjal. She could only wonder what it would be like there, what kind of adventures and people she could meet in such a place. A whole new world and a whole new start...

She stopped when she thought about it. Maybe she could go with him there? She didn't have anything here. Although her people was something she would miss, but she has nothing to hold her here personally: no family, no friends and no commitments. She smiled at the thought of having a new start, someplace where she could grow to be someone else, someone who wasn't looked down at because she wasn't good at summoning Trents and casting Moonfire.

But she had other things in mind that took her away from such dreams. Sleep was all she was craving at the moment. She walked over to the bed and let out a cute little yawn before flopping down onto the soft mattress.

She moved further into it and noticed she wasn't alone, turning she saw Ichigo there, his face no longer constricted into a scowl. He looked so peaceful in the way he slept and handsome... She shook her head as more stray thoughts made their way into her mind. She sighed before laying down next to Ichigo and pulling the sheets over herself and him. She lay there for a few moments and slowly her eyelid began to flutter and she felt darkness take her and soon she felt everything go blank.

* * *

_All that could be seen was a black void of nothingness. _

_He could see nothing around him but an all-consuming darkness. He could not feel his body, he couldn't breathe, hear his heartbeat, he did not exist here in form, but yet he existed here in essence. He had no body, no eyes, he simply _was_. He could not turn, shout, cry, speak or even shut his eyes to the darkness, but even with this void that he existed within, there was more here than just darkness and oblivion. _

_He could_ hear_ it, he could_ see_ it._

"_Hawnia!" He heard Adelina call out, his world flashed before him. _

_The body of Hawnia came into view, her entire form mangled beyond what any living being could survive through. He could hear the same sounds he heard when she died. Her bones breaking, her muscles tearing and her feint and short howls of pain while her final moments were filled with unimaginable agony._

_"Hawnia died because she wished to save the girl, but it was a foolish waste of life on her part." The stern voice of Turok ringed in the darkness. _

_And again her broken body appeared before him, her dull lifeless eyes staring up at him. Ichigo tried to scream out at the shadows in the darkness, but he had no voice. He tried to shut out the noise, but could only listen as it roared at him mercilessly._

_Soon his world shifted and now he felt himself looking through his own eyes once more, but they were clouded with a veil of mist that made it look as if he was inside a tunnel and he couldn't move his body on his own accord. He felt like he had been crushed and then burnt. But through it he could see several things: the Inn, Shady Rest Inn, he was still there, he could see the fire, but it wasn't from the hearth. The Inn is on fire, it was on fire, the fires have subsided. It was doused, he could see some specks of light in the distance, and the sun was coming up. _

_Where was he? Where was Adelina? Was she alright?_

_He heard something, it was growing loader. There was a rhythm to it, metal against stone, footsteps, moving through the Inn. Along the stone floor of the dining area, there were more than one. A foot was tapping against the floor not too far from the first man, two people; one was walking towards the other._

"_Took you long enough." Ichigo heard a gruff voice, he heard a shuffle of a chair grinding against the stone and another set of light footsteps. "Been waiting here for three hours."_

"_What the hell is this?" Barked the other man, his voice livid as well as shaken, why? What happened out there? Was the town alright, was everyone okay? "The entire town, all the people, they are dead!"_

_No, how? How did this happen? Wait, those people, the Tauren, he attacked them and tried to kill Lynn and Jimmy, but he stopped him, they were alright. No, there was another, he was attacked, what happened after that? He couldn't remember, are they alright?_

"_What do you expect when the Horde decides to attack a village?" Said the first man. The Horde, they attacked the village? Why? Why would they do this to innocent people? But his snide comment did not end there. "After all you fought against them not to long ago, you know what their like, right Lieutenant?"_

"_Hold your tongue Quarvel, the only reason you're not hanging from the gallows is because of our agreement." Said the second, who was a Lieutenant. _

_Was he a militiaman of the town. No, he would have been killed if everyone else was dead, he must be from somewhere else. Who was this other man, this 'Quarvel'? What role did he have in all of this? What agreement?_

"_Yes and because of your generosity it is likely that if either of us is caught we both will be swinging in the breeze." Said Quarvel with a laugh. _

_A laugh that was not shared between either of them, this Lieutenant, a traitor?_

"_How did this happen? How did they find out?" Murmured the Lieutenant. _

_What was he talking about, who found out? Found out about what?_

"_I guess they discovered out my men were hiding out as militia in the town." Said Quarvel, his words barely had any other emotion aside from boredom. Wait, they were the guards, but why would the Horde be after them? They were just guards, weren't they? "After all we're the closest human settlement in the Barrens, so it's not that hard to figure out."_

_What was this? What were they doing in the Barrens that caught the Horde's attention?_

"_I should never have allowed you to remain here. I should have stopped this madness when I first heard of it." Said the Lieutenant. "Because of my inaction everyone here is dead, men, woman and children, all burnt to cinders."_

_He knew what they were doing, why didn't he stop this? Why didn't you stop this?!_

"_Yes, it is a tragedy." Said Quarvel, bastard! Don't pass this off as something superficial, people are dead because of you! "We could have made a great deal more had we not been discovered."_

"_Bastard! These are dead because of you and your actions!" Roared the Lieutenant, his voice being given form to my own words that could not be said._

"_Do not put this on me, we both know that I had a quota to fill, not just to myself, but to my men and also to you." Growled Quarvel, losing his sarcastic tone and manner for a more irritated one. "You wanted to deprive the Horde of weapons and armour and then to supply what we took to your Kul Tiras soldiers."_

_Kul Tiras? What is going on here, what are these people doing? Are they actually stealing from the Horde and selling it off? What kind of fool would think they could keep something like that secret? They would be found eventually._

"_We both know that the Horde cannot be trusted, they are too close to our borders, they have invaded Theramore once before and will can do it again, we need to be prepared." Said the Lieutenant._

"_And you think supplying a bunch of deserters is going to help you, hah!" Laughed Quarvel with little mirth in his chuckle. _

_What the hell is going on? What kind of conspiracy is going on in this town?_

"_It is better than nothing! Jaina Proudmoore is too trusting of those savages, and look at what has happened because of that trust! We leave our border unprotected and open to attack." Said the Lieutenant. _

_Because you provoked them you bastard! This never would have happened, you mess with the bull and he will fucking gore you!_

"_Well that is your problem now." Said Quarvel, footsteps accompanied his proclamation._

"_What?!" Yelled the Lieutenant, shock clear in his voice. "You cannot abandon me like this!"_

"_Oh, but we can, I know that Theramore will get word of this eventually. Even if you pass this off as a Centaur attack, they still will find something that will say otherwise, and then they will start digging." Said Quarvel. His footsteps did not halt as he continued to leave. "Good bye, Lieutenant, it had been a pleasure working with you."_

_Ichigo could feel himself slipping away, heavy footsteps could be heard as the Lieutenant likely ran from the remains of the Inn. A horse neighed in the distance and then galloping could be heard. What was going on? _

_Was this all a hallucination or a memory, was Shady Rest really gone? Did the two Tauren that attacked him cause all this harm? No, he said the Horde attacked the town, the Horde destroyed this entire town because of the actions of a few. They killed innocent men, woman and children just because they had lost a few weapons and armour to a bunch of thieves who were masquerading as guards for this town. _

_How could they do this? What honour is there in killing innocents?_

_But they weren't the only ones responsible. That Lieutenant was responsible for this, he wasn't part of this Quarvel group. He was something else, he had to be part of another force. Maybe this Kul Tiras group he mentioned, and who were they? _

_What was this conspiracy? _

_He needed to stop this; he needed to stop more innocent blood from being spilled. If the Horde did this then they could do it again, to Theramore, he needed to stop this before more people are killed._

* * *

**Theramore, Early Morning**

Private Hallan stood behind the Barracks waiting for her contact to arrive. She had been given orders to remove the two survivors and she was going to do just that.

She could take one and her hired assassin could deal with the one dying in the room. But he had yet to turn up.

He should have been here two hours ago, the damn assassin should have been here earlier! It was already morning and if she didn't hurry the risk of her attempt failing would cause more problems. If they were brought in again and release more details on this event to Vimes or another officer it could spell trouble for them. It would raise suspicion on why this was not in the report or why it wasn't brought forth immediately to their attention.

As much as she was anxious about the discovery being unearthed she was quite livid when she learnt of the Shady Rest Incident. It wasn't meant to happen that way, and they were meant to take out Horde Caravans meant for Thousand Needles. Those damn raiders weren't meant to be caught! It should have been easy!

Who would suspect that a bunch of footmen were raiding Caravan's on the Gold Road? They would sooner think the Quillboar or the Centaur responsible than a small town of guards. But how they saw through this and discovered that Shady Rest was involved was not known, there was no one who could have linked them to the attacks. Theramore had idea, so how did the Horde find out? Still this was a situation that would likely spiral out of control no matter what actions they took.

But they needed to clear up the mess as quickly as possible and at least remove any evidence of their involvement. As she thought on this matter she noticed a man appear from the shadows to her right. A man concealed in a tanned hooded cloak appeared. His face shrouded in darkness and his entire body hidden beneath the ankle length cloak. He slowly made his way towards the private and stopped only a few feet from her, he did not even make a sound when he walked, he didn't even seem to be breathing.

He was like a _ghost_.

"You called for an assassin?" He asked, his voice devoid of all emotions.

No empathy, no passion, he was a man who performed a simple task, and right now he was going to be put to work.

"Yes, there is someone who needs to be removed." Said Hallan, her voice equally dispassionate.

"Give me a name and I will give you blood." He said.

Even thought she could not see into the darkness that shrouded his features, she knew that he had a smile on his face, for the prospect of killing was the only thing that gave him any pleasure. Hallan smirked before she told him of his target, the boy inside the Inn.

* * *

**Reviews**

**NIX's WARDEN****: A typical Lightning bolt consists of nearly a billion volts of electricity and travels at three thousand seven hundred miles per second. What do you expect to happen when he gets hit?**

**Hi****: Hello. Interesting, yes, also in times of difficulty the best in people are shown. As for why they are asking for Death Knight Powers. Most people believe that Death Knights are closely associated with Shinigami because both are beings of Death. But in truth Death Knights are just a special kind of undead and completely different from Shinigami. Most people can't make the distinction at first glance mainly due to information not being correct or the fact that they don't understand the difference between the two.**

**Dragonskyt****: Thank god, someone who gets me. I mean yeah, how many stories have you read that are really like this. Too much sexual tension and love and harem stuff, I am a man who likes it real. As for his hollow powers yes, he will start developing them later on. I am currently planning on speaking with someone regarding making fan art for Ichigo.**

**Mandalore the Freedom****: Actually there was no control over the Tauren, they were acting of their own free will. Also about him learning there, he will learn a couple things as he continues to travel and grow stronger. After all it's in his nature to become stronger to protect others.**

**Infinite Freedom****: Glad you like it, there is some humor in this one as well, hope you like it.**

**Guest #1:Don't worry Ichigo will have some interaction with Death Wing when he comes along, also the Dragons Aspects will each have their own interest in the boy when they come around to it.**

**Meech Macko****: Yeah, if you go to the wiki I will have the actual armor he is using and you can look at it yourself if you want. As for the Adelina and Ichigo thing, it could happen, but immediately, that is not real. Sexual tension is common with people their age. Also be sure to look at the new version, I hope it suites your tastes a little better.**

**Septon****: Glad you like it; sometime I feel that little extra detail is all a sentence needs. Don't worry, I intend to give you reasons as to why Ichigo is not like himself, but he is on the road to recovery. Also he is actually related in a sense to a certain species of being that are quite common on Azeroth, but I won't tell… For now.**

**Guest #2****: I get TD (Time Dragon) but what is RS?**

**TeninChwang****: The Frostmourne situation is being looked into at the moment, as far as I know Ner'zhul does have some control over the blade, but it has a mind of its own as well. It has its own will and desires, so it stands to reason that it is like a wolf with a master, it may follow the masters commands, but it cannot escape its own instincts.**

**Ichko****: As for bringing someone home with him, already thought about that. Just think about the caverns of time instances and you will see.**

**Arrankor****: You are correct on both assumptions. Sadly both take place at very different timeframes; in fact United is about twenty years after the event in Transcendence. Also trying to integrate them both at the same time will be hard. It would work if Ichigo actually went missing when he was younger and taken in by the fleet and eventually returned during the Winter War to help. But sadly that is something for a different story, might make it.**

**Freedom Guard****: Yeah they are a pain in the arse. If you go to the Wiki you can see her page and what she looks like, sadly I cannot make her physically fourteen years old. As for a romance, one or maybe two girls at maximum. Harems really aren't my cup of tea, especially with someone who is a prude like him, he wouldn't accept it and some of the woman likely wouldn't be with him because they just won't and also woman don't like sharing. Also I am sorry for not getting to you earlier, really been busy. Had Two chapters to pull out and also a Wiki to make.**

**Raximus****: Glad you like.**

**S.R.457****: Great, thanks.**

**Zangetsu****: I understand, I will try to get him to gain access to his Hollow powers, but still I think that without proper context he will not be able to fully understand his Zanpakuto's. Even if someone was able to tell him about his ancestry, no one knows about Ymach or who Old Man Zangetsu appears as. But still he will gain his Hollow powers and he will have great diversity with them as well.**

**Tsundere****: Haha, damn. That would be funny. You got that right, if they go with Ichigo they or she could use the same methods as in the cavern of time to hide their appearance. As for a Dragon thing, in a sequel to this story, I promise.**

**Iprefertoread86****: Don't worry, he will mature. Also I posted the new chapter with this for Lords of Warcraft.**

**Moons:**** That's true.**

**A simple fool****: I thank you for the compliment. I hope to live up and maybe even better than them one day.**

**Dalulzing****: Yeah, don't worry, ain't gonna be like the fifty thousand Bleach stories out there.**

**Halitar****: Ichigo is yet to get a girlfriend in this fic, it does not gonna be love at first sight, it's gonna be slow at first and work its way in. Also there will be a definite romance in this fic, I promise, but it won't be all cliché and such.**

**Culaio****: Yeah, but sadly there is always evil in the world, I wanted to show you that Ichigo will have times when he will be a part of it and not be able to help. That even he is not without fault.**

**Guest #3****: Ulquiorra in Azeroth, sadly not my cup of tea, as far as I know he is a heartless and cold sociopath. Not a hero in any regards.**

**Eternal nothingness****: Lighting has a billion volts of electricity running through it and travels at three thousand seven hundred miles a second that would hurt wouldn't it. Remember, you can push a car, doesn't mean you can survive getting his by a motorcycle.**

**Dracomancer6491****: Don't worry, I will try and get him in ASAP.**

**Dante 101****: Yes, the story is going on the Winter War. No, Ichigo is going to need help in this new world and she will help him where she can. Check out the Wiki to see her Bio. Of course, I can't change him to quick; he needs to stay how he is for a little while. Well the sexual tension is only comic relief for now. True, but when you are in the middle of a battle zone you can't stop to dress a wound, also he has healers with him when he was attacked and wounded. They will go to the Emerald Dream at some point. Mediocre at best. No, but if you go to the Wiki you will see what armor I gave him and the links to it and also a model of what it look like on someone. I will address that soon enough, I want to make it clear that he is still that naïve teen he always it, but soon he will change. Definitely, he would be an awesome Jedi. The tauren weren't being controlled. I am still considering whether he can use Frostmourne in the future or not. Yeah the next chapter mainly focuses on Adelina. Yes he will receive several mentors for several different areas.**

**Ultima-owner****: You will find out soon enough.**

**Tundrafire****: Glad you like it.**

**Saddas74****: Glad you like it. The three factors I will explain at a later time, I don't want to really reveal them too early and spoil the surprise as the reasons are very interesting to be heard. I can explain one of them. Which is in the wiki, so go there and to Ichigo's page and you will read it there in the Power and Abilities section.**

**Dragonlord1337****: Glad you like it.**

**Leapinglemur****: Good to hear, also Might pick up the game later on them.**

**Guest #4****: I am the kind of guy to do the unexpected.**

** 64****: Yeah well, I am that kind of guy that can do that, hope you read some more and tell me if I divert from the Cliché.**

**ArthurB****: Oh, well can't please everybody.**

**Wrandral****: Glad you like it. Also you are correct about them having the possibility to live together for several millennia.**

**Aluriea****: I will don't worry. **

**Reaper7****: Glad you like it, also I am happy you like the perv-ness.**

**That's a wrap, don't forget to read and review the new United Story and Also the next chapter of Lord of Warcraft and check out the Wiki.**


	14. Chapter 13: Assassins

**Hello everyone, hope you are having a good weekend, I have decided to change the date in which I will update my stories to Sunday, due to scheduling problems with my Beta-Reader who is unable to send the document to me on the weekdays.**

**Also be sure to check out the wiki for the updates to the character pages as well as the new pages, the link is on my profile or Search for Transcendencefanon wiki.**

**Now on with the story and remember that the reviews are posted at the bottom and can be answered to your previous questions.**

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**Transcendence**

**Chapter 13: Assassins**

**Theramore, Early Morning**

The streets were bustling with people: guards carrying out their routine patrols and everyday citizens going about their daily business. Whether it is at the docks or simply to run the stalls that stretched up the length of the streets. Selling wares that any other city would: armor, weapons, food, clothes, and other miscellany that can be traded for a few pieces of silver. Even in a city as small as this; the need for such items are still as much as any other city in the Alliance.

Blue and Red Team members were sparring as usual in the practice yards, soldiers in identical armor aside from the color of their tabards squared off against one another and cheered as their teams fought for supremacy over their opponents.

Even though this small city lives in one of the most dismal places one pray never to live within, the people of Theramore were going about their lives without worry or care, and Adelina found that as an admiring quality of such a city. That even in the most gloomy of places, people can still flourish and have a life without constant worry of being attacked, be it by the Horde or the malicious creatures that make their homes in the swamp. Adelina saw it in people's eyes as they went about their day, talking and laughing with a genuine smile on their faces as they walked down the street, truly a contrast to the world that just lay beyond the large white walls.

* * *

Adelina traveled around the city for a while, looking what it had to offer. Surprisingly there was more here than just a few places where one could buy weapons or sustenance aside from the Inn.

Several stalls were selling specific wares to the anticipating buyers that walked buy. They had stalls for fresh fruit, the finest silk in Kalimdor and even a horse breeder who was willing to sell his stallions so long as the customer can pay for them. You just had to look past the many siege engines, large number of armored guards and also the colossal presence of the barracks and central tower that dominated all other structures within the walls. One could see that this place was also a community full of people and families going about their daily lives, working and bringing in the money to continue on living. And from what the young Druid could tell, there was no one here that would have it any other way.

But for now Adelina had a single objective in her mind, and that was to find this Trauma Surgeon, Doctor… Gusta… Van… Howzing? Or something along those lines.

"Why are human names so hard to remember?" Adelina said with a sigh.

By Elune, she was glad Ichigo wasn't here to hear her say that, he would have thrown what she said to him about remembering person's name and pronouncing it correctly right back in her face.

She decided to forget about it and ask the doctor his name when she met him, but first she needed to find him, which was easy as he only worked in the barracks, and this time it seemed like she wasn't being held up. It looks like when she spoke with the lieutenant last night he put in a word for her, maybe so that she could enter without having to tell them every time she needed to enter. That may be well and good but there was still one problem.

She didn't know exactly where this doctor was inside the barracks. She would have to ask for directions. She saw two guards standing beside the main entrance, each one on the either side of it, staring off ahead at what exactly she didn't know. She walked over to the one in the red armor; he wore similar silver grey armor as the rest of the guards in Theramore, aside from the red trimmed tabard with an icon of a flame sown into the fabric.

Adelina realized he must be part of that Red team that some of the guards were organized into. She looked over to the right to see a similar man but instead of red coloring, he had blue and his tabard had a golden lion face emblazoned on it. Turning back to the soldier in red she decided to ask him where the doctor is.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where… the trauma surgeon is?" Adelina inquired.

She hesitated on whether to try and say his name or not, but opted to just use his occupation rather than risk butchering his name. She would guess that they may take some offense to it for not being able to pronounce it right.

"You mean Guster?" the Guard questioned.

She nodded to him and smiled, before she frowned in thought. 'Wait; was that really his name?'

"Jarad, you idiot, it's Gustaf!" Said the guard in blue on the opposite side of the door, to which the first guard – apparently named Jarad – looked at him, and even beneath his red winged helmet, one could easily see the irritated scowl form on his face.

"Bite me. Kahil!" Said Jarad, before he raised his arm and balled his fist at his blue counterpart angrily. "You know how hard it is to remember that man's name, he's from Stromgarde or something, and they have weird names those people."

"Not really, you're just an idiot that can't remember a person's name." Kahil countered calmly, not bothering to look at Jarad as he insulted him.

Which only made the man in red get angrier and his skin started to turn a shade of red similar to flame emblazoned on his tabard.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you _Blue-boy_." Jarad growled while uttering the last two words with venom, now turning fully to face Kahil. "Let me ask you this: can you remember all the names of the people who kicked you tin can backside over the practice fields? There have to be more than a few! After all, you Blue boys aren't that good at fighting, you should stick to the dummies, they're more than enough for a delicate thing like you."

"Oh yes, and you're so good at fighting!" Kahil drawled, turning his head towards Jarad and leveling the man in red with an annoyed glare, before turning his entire form and then crossing his arms over his chest and retorting. "Like that time Captain Andrew got into a fight with that young Adventurer for no reason! I see that all you Red's know is how to pick a fight with people walking down the street."

"That was an accident, a complete misunderstanding! Beside that was fixed up a while ago, so no harm done." Jarad barked.

All the while Adelina watched their verbal spar with one another and made subtly threats of violence that appeared to be become anything but subtle. She looked back and forth between them before she quietly and inconspicuously entered the keep and out of their way.

"I'll just go look for him myself." Adelina said, nervously backing up into the Barracks as she watched the two of them advance on one another with their fists raised in front of them and ready to send them flying.

She turned around and walked down the hall, ignoring the shouting and the sound of metal hitting metal. She hoped that she hadn't cause all that to happen, all she did was ask for was where Gustaf was and then _that_ happened! She had no idea it would have escalated _that_ bad!

She stopped when another guard passed her and asked the same question to him. Luckily he wasn't as insane as the two outside.

The good doctor was on the ground floor and in the small medical center just at the back of the keep under the south-west tower, she went there immediately.

"Now pay attention!" She heard a roar through the halls and halted momentarily. "The critically wounded must be tended to first. After the critically wounded come the badly injured. The ones that are injured the less should be tended to last."

Adelina peeked through the door and saw what appeared to be the medical center. Inside she saw a man in in long black pants and dull grey overall over as white buttoned up shirt, he had a mustache and a balding head with only a small amount remaining at the sides above the ears. The man was instructing three other younger people, all dressed in a similar manner as their teacher, which made her wonder why they would have a uniform such as that.

"Uh, sir." One of the students spoke, raising his hand to show that it was he who was speaking. "Why do we have to wear this?"

"Because it makes you look dashing and also mature! Do you have any idea how much of a doctor you look like right now?" Gustaf bellowed with pride. Before he got a very crazy in his eye and he leaned close to the boy and said in a spooky calm voice. "Do you have a problem with that boy? Are you saying that this attire is not dashing and make me look mature?"

Adelina was having some concerns about this man's mental stability when it came to clothing and treating his students and making them look like him. It looked like this man needed help _serious_ help.

"N-N-N-No Sir!" the same Student stuttered out, visibly shaking at the insane glare the doctor was giving him.

"Good." Gustaf said, leaning away with a smirk on his face.

She heard a pained groan and all around the room Adelina could see several patients waiting to be treated. Although none looked to be in any danger of dying, they do appear to be in need of medical attention and most of them appeared to be part of Red or Blue teams.

"Now, get to treating them, and remember work on the serious cases first and work your way down." The good, possibly insane, doctor instructed.

"Yes, Doctor VanHowzen!" The three medical trainees exclaimed before they moved off to treat the patients.

Adelina looked at the man who was instructing them. He was the person she was looking for! She hoped that he could help Ichigo, both being _available_ to help and being _capable_ of helping.

"Excuse me..." Adelina asked, gaining the man's attention.

He turned on his feet and faced her.

"Ah, hello young lady, how may I help you?" He asked with a smile and upbeat voice.

Even though there were patients around him saying they were going to die and were seeing a bright light or… Blue, for some reason he remained strangely cheerful and jovial.

"My friend, he is injured and even though I am a healer my skills may not be enough, I would like to see if you could visit him to see if he needs proper medical help." Adelina pleaded, and Gustaf could hear that hint of desperation in her voice.

She really wanted him to check up on her friend, he could never say no to anyone who needed help.

"Alright, but I will not be able to for the moment, too many patients. I can come to the Inn early this afternoon to check up on him." Gustaf said, while motioning to the different patients in the room. "I have too many patients on my hands at the moment. Those damn Reds and Blues were fighting again; glad they ran out of steam before anyone else got hurt."

"Uhhh, well, I kind of saw two more of them fighting outside." Adelina replied, rubbing the back of her head and chuckling nervously.

"What?! Why the hell are they fighting about this time?" Gustaf cried out with indignant rage, as if it was a personal offense to him that they were fighting and if they got hurt it was his problem.

"Well, I asked them where you were, and then the one in red asked if I was looking for Guster..." She saw a vein pop on the top of the doctor's head. "Then the one in blue called him stupid, then the red one said that Blues can't fight, and then the one in blue said that the Reds always pick fights, and then they started yelling and hitting each other."

Gustaf grumbled something unintelligent as he passed the young Druid and moved to the door, but as he moved he picked up a hacksaw from the table. Adelina knew that it was used to saw through bones for patients that had to have their limbs removed due to infection or were too damaged to be healed. He stopped at the door and looked at his young apprentices, who were all looking at him apprehensively as they wondered what he planned to do with that medical instrument, and without letting them asked what he was planning he said.

"Keep the patients stable, I need to go and perform some delicate surgery on some poor boys asses!" Gustaf exclaimed in righteous fury, turning and walking out the door.

"Sir?" Asked one of the apprentices, just as his mentor was leaving, hoping to understand what he was talking about.

"Their heads appear to be stuck up their backside, I intent to remove them." Said Gustaf, who didn't bother to stop walking as he did, and as he rounded the corner he yelled out and through the barracks. "Then I intent to plant my foot square up their asses and kick their brains back into their head!"

"He's scary..." Adelina stated. Who slowly move out of the medical center and then out of the Barracks.

She spoke with Gustaf, although it was a bit short and ended with him likely going to murder two people, but was able to get him to agree to see Ichigo, but she didn't have to go far before she was stopped by someone.

"Excuse me." Adelina halted mid-step and nearly jumped when she heard someone speak up right behind her. Turning Adelina saw a woman in brown leather armor with short brown hair and a white tabard with an anchor emblazoned on her chest. "Are you Adelina?"

"Yes, who are you?" The Night Elf inquired.

"My name is Private Hellen; I heard that you are looking for a doctor." She said. Adelina was a little surprised by this. How did she know who she was looking for? "Forgive me, I overheard you while you were in the medical ward, if you are looking for a doctor, I can direct you to one of our healers, they should be able to help."

"But I spoke with Gustaf; he said he would come by later to see Ichigo." Adelina said.

And as she spoke the very last word she heard screaming. Turning to the commotion she saw something that was both horrifying and comical.

She saw the two guards that were previously arguing in front of the Barracks were now running for their lives, and behind them was Doctor Gustaf VanHowzen, and in his hand was the hacksaw, which was he was twirling above his head and screaming at the two men that were running.

"How many times have I told you idiots?!" He roared. "Stop fighting or I'll start hacking off your limbs and make you!"

"We're sorry!" Jarad screamed as he bolted in front of Kahil, after all you don't need to outrun the man chasing you, you just need to outrun the other guy.

"It won't happen again!" Kahil cried out like a little girl, all the while everyone else was laughing at their expense and likely execution.

"I think the good doctor is a little busy." Said Hallan, not a single emotion played over her face as she watched the scene play out before her.

Tough as nails this one, Adelina chuckled nervously at the completely dispassionate soldier before her. She was also scary.

"I guess so, okay, I'll take you up on that offer." Adelina said, to which Hallan nodded and led Adelina away from the Barracks and to the main road – or least beside the main road, which was still being used by Gustaf, Jarad and Kahil.

* * *

Hallan was busy planning out how she was going to do this. She was lucky that the woman came to the barracks looking for a medic, she knew that Gustef would be busy dealing with those Red and Blue Team's soldiers that got into another brawl. When she saw her desperation in looking for a healer she could easily play on that and lure her away with the promise of finding someone to help her friend.

But that brings up the question, where could she take her that is isolated and where she could dump the body? The docks came to mind, but they were to open and guards on the walls or tower could see her if she tried, and also her body wouldn't likely sink and then there would be questions as how she ended up there and also as a witness to the incident in Shady Rest. It could cause some conspiracy to form that would draw attention toward her and her party's plans.

The Elf needed to disappear and not be found, but where?

Hallan couldn't dispose of the body immediately, so she would have to hide it somewhere before she could remove it. A simple box to hide the corpse could work... Stuff her in it and when they go out on patrol she would have one of her men dispose of the body into the swamp. No one would ever know, but that still raised the question on where to take her.

She couldn't lead her around the city; it would cause too much suspicion, both from the girl and the guards if they asked her a question on what she was doing. Even though she was a klutz by the look of her, the Elf would probably still catch on eventually.

Hallan glanced around and saw the old lumber mill near the entrance to the docks. It was still being used in constructing new ships and repairing old ones but still... There wasn't anyone around it and she could sneak the girl behind it to slit her throat and then hide her body among the stacks of crates that are behind the building.

"Over here, the medics usually come here to get away from everyone and meditate." Hallan said, giving the girl a reason behind her actions.

After all, one can't allow suspicions to arise from not speaking.

"Behind the lumber mill?" Adelina inquired confused.

She could tell that the thought of meditating behind a lumber mill was odd.

"I know, I don't understand either, they just do it for some reason." Hallan responded nonchalantly with a shrug before motioning her forward with a jerk of her head.

Adelina buying the excuse moved on and while she did Private Hallan was close behind her.

Adelina walked up the side and then behind the lumber mill. She could see a small open patch area with nothing but a few crates along the wall and some logs still needing to be cut, but apart from that there was nothing else here, nor was there anyone.

Behind the preoccupied Night Elf was Hallan, moving slowly towards her target, reaching into her tabard and hidden beneath the soft fabric was her dagger, which she intended to use to slit the girl's throat and then discard it along with the body. She needed to do this quick; she couldn't risk anyone finding them when or after she had killed. She raised her free hand to grab the girl and muffle her screams, her hand only an inch from her long flowing hair.

"Private Hallan!" Someone called behind them.

Quickly turning Hallan and Adelina saw another soldier standing there, a woman in similar armor to the Private and stature, aside from the fact she had reddish-brown hair and pearl earring.

"Sergeant Amelyn." Hallan stated, pulling her hand from inside her tabard to salute the superior officer.

Although there was annoyance in her usually emotionless tone, which was easily missed by Adelina but not her Sergeant, though they had no personal animosity towards one another, it was odd that the Private was showing disrespect towards Amelyn.

"Have I interrupted something Private?" Amelyn asked.

Her irritation easily seen, both because of her tone and also because Hallan was supposed to be on duty. She had no problem with the girl, but on occasion she found the Private either not at her post or neglecting her duties, which caused the Sergeant all kinds of grief.

"No ma'am." Hallan replied crisply.

She hid her irritation quite well, but the Sergeant could see it in her eyes that she was quite annoyed right now. Amelyn narrowed her eyes at the Private, she cared little about why she was angry right now and even less at the way she was speaking to her.

"Get to the Barracks, Colonel Lorena says that something has come up." Amelyn ordered her subordinate. For a single moment Hallan didn't make a move, but she relented less she risk raising further suspicion, and strode towards the Sergeant and passed her, while the Sergeant looked at the surprised Night Elf. "What's your story kid?"

"I-I'm looking for the medics, my friend was hurt, I just wanted to make sure he is alright." Said Adelina, to which the Sergeant looked at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you here then? They're usually around the Central Tower, go there and you will find them." Said Amelyn, not bothering to ask more on the matter and leaving the stunned Night Elf to wonder what was going on.

* * *

Adelina decided to just leave and go and see about finding those Medics at the tower.

She was having such a rough day. First she asked someone a question and then that someone starts a fight with another guard, then she speaks with the very odd doctor who tells her he can't help until this afternoon. And when she tells him about the fight, he goes off and tried to murder them, which likely means he won't be going to see Ichigo early this afternoon. Then she was lead to an empty lot to find a medic to help, and then she learned just now that the medics are at the tower...

Why was her day becoming so complicated?! She just wanted everything to go back to normal and have Ichigo awake again!

Before she could think more of the good old days she felt something collide with her. She felt wind blow past her face and gravity shifting awkwardly to her side and then herself hitting pavement.

Adelina groaned as she hit the ground with a hard thud.

Why was her day so bad?

What did she do to deserve this?

Was it the impure thoughts she had last night?

Or was it the fact that she was willing to leave this world for another without as much as a backward glance?

Why was she having such a bad day?

Another feminine groan could be heard, but that one didn't pass though her mouth. Adelina looked up from the ground to see another woman was on her rear end and had a confused expression on her face. The woman had long blonde hair, beautiful features and bright blue eyes; she wore elegant robes of white and purple. Her attire along with her emerald diamond tipped staff showed that she was a Mage and a wealthy one at that.

"Are you alright Lady Proudmoore?" Asked a Night Elf by the woman Adelina had bumped into.

She had long blue hair tied into a long flowing braid that ran down her back, she wore light armour and had a long two handed bastard sword strapped to her back.

But there was another person in this little group. A young man with long black hair tied into a pony tail and he wore long billowing robes of black and bronze and carried a long staff similar to Jaina, with an emerald crystal tipped staff.

"Yes, it's alright Pain." Jaina Proudmoore said as she was lifted to her feet by her bodyguard and confidant. She turned to the Night Elf who was looking up at her from the ground with utter shocked adoring her young features. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Y-You're J-Jaina P-P-Proudmoore?" Adelina asked with a small nervous chuckle, which confused Jaina as to why she was acting so nervous around her. _Why_ would she be so startled? Well in Adelina's mind she was two things: Jaina Proudmoore was a major political figure within the Alliance and also the Queen of Theramore. 'Oh Elune, I knocked over a Princess!'

"Yes, are you alright, you seem a little…" Started Jaina, but then the young Night Elf shot straight up to her feet before getting back down on her knees in the span of a second and practically had her face and body leveled with the ground.

"I am so sorry Your Majesty; I didn't mean to cause offense!" She cried out, begging for mercy from the woman she thought was a Queen. It was technically true, but not in the official sense. It was more of a title given to her, but Adelina didn't know that. "Please don't throw into a filthy cell and punish me for bumping into you!"

Jaina watched on slightly mortified that the girl was acting as if she was some tyrant who was going to behead her for simply bumping into her by accident. Where would this poor young girl get such an idea? Wait, why was she calling her, _Her Majesty_?

"N-N-No! No, it's alright!" Jaina stammered out, which was more frantic than she would have wanted.

She had never been in a situation like this before. She felt so embarrassed for being the center of attention to what people would see and think as a noble lording over a commoner.

"Please! I did not mean to bump into you! I was not paying attention; please forgive me Your Majesty!" Adelina cried out, rising up to only being on her knees, her hands clasped together and practically begging Jaina for forgiveness for her _crime_.

Jaina was at a loss again. She really didn't know how to handle herself in this situation while keeping calm and collected. She had been in battles, wars and yet right now she felt so out of her element that she couldn't even think straight. She looked around to see that several people were staring at the scene, either completely confused, shocked or on the verge of laughter.

And she also noticed that Tervosh was _slightly_ shaking, from mirth most likely, she glared at him from the corner of her eye for not helping.

"No! Please listen, it's alright, it was accident." Said Jaina, waving her hands in front of her to try and defuse the awkward situation that had risen from their meeting. She has never met anyone who would beg right in front of her for bumping into her by accident. "Please, just stop begging."

Adelina looked up at Jaina Proudmoore.

The Queen of Theramore could see that there was hope welling in the young Night Elf's eyes, and again she thought of what kind of things this poor girl thinking she was going to do because of a simple and easily forgotten accident. But from the way they interacted so quickly afterwards, it was likely this event was going to be firmly planted in her mind for the rest of her days.

She just hoped that events like these don't make a frequent occurrence if they ever meet again.

"So you're not going to lock me in a dungeon or make an example out of me?" Adelina asked meekly.

"No! I mean no, it's alright it was an accident, please get up." Jaina said calmly, after she exclaimed at first.

She had finally gained some measure of control over herself and could actually think without strange thoughts going through her head. She could only wonder what drove her to do that.

"Thank you Your Majesty, you are kind and beautiful as the stories say!" Said Adelina, which made Jaina a little flustered at the compliment and the fact that her reputation may have preceded her, which also made Tervosh's poor attempts to control his laughter harder.

She would have simply shaken it off and ignored him, but the fact that there were some strained efforts from other people around her trying not to laugh only made the embarrassment of this whole situation even worse.

"I-Thank you, just please, no more apologies, it is kind of embarrassing." Jaina said, letting out a nervous sigh and rubbing the back of her head.

All those years of training as an Archmage and her regal upbringing were doing her very little good in handling herself in this situation.

"I'm… embarrassing you?" Asked Adelina, looking around the see the many staring faces of the villagers and several guard that were either on duty or moving on to their duty shift. Adelina immediately blushed purple at the scene she had caused. "Sorry, I get carried away some times."

"It's alright; tell me, what is your name?" Jaina inquired, regaining some of her regal poise and kind demeanor.

And now she was little more confident in her step and speech.

"Adelina." The young Druid said bowing towards Jaina.

"There is no need to bow, I may rule Theramore, but I am only Queen in honorary title." Jaina explained with a smile. "Tell me, what brings you to my beloved city? We don't receive many travelers from the forests of Ashenvale."

"I'm actually traveling with a friend." Said Adelina, before her head and heart sank as she continued. "But he's hurt; I'm trying to look for a doctor or healer to help him."

"Your friend is hurt? Have you asked the doctor in the Barrack's for help? He is a generous man, he could see to your friend." Said Tervosh, to which Adelina chuckled nervously.

They didn't know why she seemed a little nervous about mentioning Doctor VanHowzen until they heard something in the distance.

"You think you can outrun me? I did track back in medical school! You and your asses are Doomed!" The distinct roar of Doctor Gustaf VanHowzen could be heard on the other side of Theramore, while the cries of two specific soldiers could be heard shortly afterword's.

"He's… busy..." Adelina said, letting out another awkward laugh.

"I see..." Said Jaina, looking off in the direction the screaming came from. She probably should talk to Lorena about the antics of Red and Blue teams, if not for their sake, then maybe the good doctor's. He does seem to be becoming a little more… madder than usual. "If they can't help them maybe the medics can? They are inside the tower; you can speak with them if you wish."

"Oh, I know, I was told by a woman name Amelyn that they were inside the tower." Adelina said.

"Then why were you behind the lumber mill?" Pain inquired, finding the antics of this girl quite strange, she began to wonder if she was one of those types, they weren't not very common in Night Elf society, but they were there.

"Oh, one of the guards said that the medics like to meditate behind the mill sometimes." Said Adelina, to which the three of them gave her incredulous looks. "I know I thought it was weird to."

"Yes, quite strange." Jaina said, smiling at the girl. She was actually wondering what was stranger, the conversation or the things that were going on around her. It was likely she was going to remember every facet of this conversation for a long time. "Tell me: how was your friend injured?"

Adelina paused for a moment. Jaina could see there was some conflict in her eyes about telling her that specific piece of information, but as to why the ruler of Theramore didn't know.

"He…" Started Adelina, before looking around to make sure the coast was clear before leaning closer to whisper in the Archmage's ear. "He was at Shady Rest when it was attacked."

Jaina's eyes widened when she heard those words, and realized immediately that this was the girl that she read about in the report about the massacre. She had received it nearly half an hour ago; it said that two people came into the city last night.

One was heavily wounded and the other had warned the guards of the attack on the small town of Shady Rest, and were said to be survivors of the attack. As soon as she had heard of the attack she ordered all the guards to gather at the barracks and also for Lorena to organize an investigation into the attack. But if this girl knew about it she could be most valuable, she was actually hoping to speak with her about it.

"So you were there?" Jaina inquired. Adelina nodded in confirmation. "I have read into the incident only a few minutes ago, you are lucky to be alive, were there truly no other survivors?"

Adelina's head sank as she gave a sorrowful nod confirming it.

Jaina could see that the incident weighed heavily on her heart. Jaina could understand her despair, she had watched the aftermath of the purge of Stratholme, the flames that burnt it and all the people there still burn today. She knew that the loss of innocent life should never be seen, especially by someone so young as the girl in front of her. She just hoped that the event didn't scar her for life; no one deserves to have that on their conscience.

"I'm sorry you had to go through such a thing." Jaina said, placing a hand on the innocent girls shoulder, offering her this little comfort knowing that she wasn't alone. "But do you know who burnt down the town? Any information could be valuable."

"I don't know exactly, I was knocked out when I was inside the Inn, all I know if that there were two Tauren." Adelina said. She watched as Jaina's eyes widened at the realization set in.

It was as she feared, the report didn't mention specifics about who attacked the Inn, which seemed to make her worry that the man who made the report was not of right mind. He should have alerted her to this immediately.

"It is as I feared." Jaina murmured, her words all but a whisper. "The Horde attacked Shady Rest."

"Adelina, are you sure that the people who attacked you were Tauren?" Tervosh inquired.

"Yes, but I didn't see outside. The first one attacked us inside the Inn and the other one hurt my friend and then threw me outside. After that I blacked out." Adelina replied.

"I do not wish to believe that Thrall would allow an attack to be sanctioned." Jaina said.

Actual belief in her words as she mentioned the Warchief of the Horde. Her trust in him was more than most others, even some in the Alliance.

"But if the Horde is behind this, then it could cause a diplomatic incident and might resort to retaliation for the lives that were lost." Tervosh warned, alerting Jaina of the potential political fallout, which could be created if this incident was to be released to the public.

"I know Thrall better than most Tervosh, I know he wouldn't do this, and we don't have enough to go on to suggest the Horde was involved. All we know is that two Tauren were present. We need to look into this further." Jaina said, very fervent in her belief that her friend and ally were not responsible for this attack. She just hoped that this didn't spiral out of control more than it already had. "Thank you for telling me this Adelina."

"Oh, it was nothing you're… Lady Jaina." Adelina replied, picking herself up at the end and tried not to put the 'Majesty' title on her.

The ruler of Theramore smiled.

"I'm sorry but I will need to speak with my Advisor about this." Jaina said. She turned and nodded towards Tervosh and Pain, they walked off, and as they passed Adelina, Jaina told her one last piece of information. "Please, I would like you to remain in the city for the time being, you are the only person who knows what happened that night."

"Don't worry Lady Jaina; I won't leave until Ichigo is alright." Said Adelina, which made Jaina stop mid-step for a moment, was she traveling with him? "Oh, wait, I still need to find the medics! I'm sorry Lady Jaina I have to go and get someone who can help him."

* * *

Before Jaina could stop the young Night Elf she was running down the road towards the central tower. With people leaping out of the way as she charged forward like a mad bull, Jaina couldn't believe what she had just heard. The person that was one of the survivors of the Shady Rest massacre was the same person she had been waiting for the last week and a half to arrive here to ask for her help.

She had been sent a message from Shandris Feathermoon about a young boy that was in need of expertise in the Arcane, the message contained details that were almost unbelievable to read: a young teenage boy from another world.

Said to be a Shinigami, or a Death God, a spiritual being who ferries the dead to the afterlife and defend the pure souls against corrupted souls and said to wield great power, and was trying to find a way home. And Jaina being the only person who likely dabbled in Arcane magic on this continent was the person he was coming to ask for help. Although she didn't know what to expect from him and all she knew was that he looked human, had orange hair, a large cleaver on his back and his name was Ichigo.

"Jaina, are you alright?" Tervosh inquired, confused by his her sudden stop.

Jaina snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her fellow Archmage. She decided to hold her thoughts on the matter for now; she needed to speak with the Colonel about this new development and the Horde's possible involvement.

"Yes, I'm fine. Come, we need to speak with Lorena about the Tauren who were part of the attack." Jaina said. Both Pain and Tervosh followed in her wake towards the Barracks.

* * *

**Theramore Inn**

Inside the large two story building there were few people, most that's called it their home had gone about their day to either work or report for duty, and the only ones still inside are those who work within the very building, preparing for the evening when many patrons would file in through the door for food and drink.

But there were two others inside the Inn at this moment that was neither a worker nor a patron.

The first was the young Substitute, still unconscious from the events that transpired nearly a day and a half ago. While the other was a man cloaked in a large brown cape, concealing his entire form behind a shroud of brown leather, and his hood shadowing his face from all who upon him. One would think it empty or occupied by a ghost, for no footsteps could be heard as he moved.

Those that saw the cloaked figure paid little mind to his passing, either focusing on their own work or not truly caring who resided under the cloak. Because of that he walked up the stairs to the second floor with little trouble or effort. One by one he moved past the many rooms of the Inn, continuing upwards as he moved towards his target.

Soon he came to a halt at the very door he was looking for, one-twenty three. Pulling out the key he was given by the Private, the assassin unlocked the door and entered the room. Very plain in his opinion, just the essentials for one to live, which wasn't much considering.

He scoffed at the idea of living at a bare minimum. He had earned a fortune in killing and plundering with the Southsea Freebooters, and he was still not satisfied with what he had, he still wanted more to quench his desires.

He could see his intended victim on the bed, sound asleep.

The perfect victim.

But he wasn't one for using poison, he preferred to slit throats and gouge out their eyes so they could scream or choke on their own blood. He liked spilling blood and torturing rather than killing with poison. They just died slowly without uttering a word or screaming in agony, they just drifted away into death...

Well beggars can't be choosers sometimes.

He pulled out a small veil and then pulled out his double edge dagger; ingestion of the poison wouldn't be completely effective. A small cut with a poisoned blade would be sufficient to kill. The poison will spread through the organs and then to the heart and brain, he will be dead in less than ten minutes.

Quick, clean and efficient. Hey, just because he doesn't prefer poisons don't mean he doesn't admire them!

Pouring the potent mixture onto the blade he watched as the green liquid flowed down the lengths of the dagger, ready to be used. Although a slight waste for only killing one person, it was always good to have it ready just in case something unexpected happened. He reached down towards the boy and readied his knife, looking for the best place to cut into that wouldn't be noticed by a doctor or healer.

He noticed the burnt mark on his shoulder, that would do and it should cover up the cut just nicely. The assassin moved his knife towards the unconscious Substitute's left shoulder, ready to nick into the distorted flesh and then collect his pay...

But before he could make the incision he was stopped. The young man's hand shot up and grabbed the assassin's wrist. The assassin couldn't even try to remove the hand from his wrist before the boy's leg shot up and hit him right in the side of the face. The assassin's head and body jolted to the right and connected with the bedside table with a loud crash.

Ichigo then shot up and rolled to the other side of the bed, looking as the man who had tried to kill him slowly lifted himself back up and staggered on his feet.

In his hand was the same dagger coated with a glistening layer of poison.

Both the Substitute Shinigami and Southsea Assassin stared at one another for a short while. The former was thinking about where the hell he was, and the latter thinking how the damn kid woke up and then booted him in the head when he was meant to be dying.

Ichigo didn't know where he was at the moment. He thought he was back at Shady Rest, but the room wasn't the same as the one he had there, and it was smaller and had fewer things in it than he remembered.

Also, where the hell was all his armor?!

He was fully armored when he last was here! And this guy on the other side of the bed, he tried to kill him! What the hell was going on?!

The only reason he was still alive was because of his honed skills in knowing when someone was going to attack... _even_ while asleep. He never thought his dad's weird training would actually come in handy in such situations, but even right now he had no idea what was going on!

_Why_ the hell was this guy trying to _kill_ him?

_'Wait.'_ Ichigo thought for a moment _'Could he be…?'_

"You're here because of Shady Rest..." Said Ichigo, to which the man reached into his cloak and then in an instant threw several daggers at the Substitute.

Using Shunpo Ichigo was able to evade the barrage of daggers aimed to stab him. Ichigo appeared near the table in the center of the room.

He looked down the see his Zanpakutō lying on the wooden table top. Without a second thought he reached for it and hefted the massive cleaver in front of himself as a shield, blocking more of the sharp daggers from impaling his chest. But as he did this, the assassin moved in for the kill. He swung his arm wide aiming for Ichigo's exposed side, completely circumventing his Zanpakutō.

Ichigo sidestepped away from the blade, while keeping Zangetsu in the same position, preventing the assassin from continuing because of the risk having his arm cut off by the momentum of his own swing. When the poisoned dagger halted Ichigo kicked the blunt side of Zangetsu up and towards the assassin's arm.

The assassin was able to save himself by pulling away, and didn't allow Ichigo to press his attack. Instead the assassin rushes forward as the Zanpakutō was in the air, believing that the boy couldn't bring it down quick enough to intercept him. The poison dagger was aiming right for his stomach.

But even the assassin couldn't account for the almost superhuman speed in which the human boy brought down the sword on top of him. Only because of his honed reflexes and agility the Assassin was able to leap to the side with only a piece of his cloak being cut off. The assassin rolled back onto his feet and mentally cursed when he realize he had recovered right beside the wall.

Which didn't stop Ichigo from attacking. Rising Zangetsu up, he brought it down right on top of the Assassin.

The assassin rolled forward and avoided the strike and listened as it carved through the wooden wall like it was paper. But as the Rogue rose he was forced to duck back down as the blade veered towards his neck. The impact shattered the wall even more. Moving to the Shinigami's side the assassin shot his dagger forward to stab him in his exposed flank.

But as he tried a strong hand wrapped itself around his wrist. Looking up he saw that the boy had caught him.

Ichigo brought his Zanpakutō over his chest and aimed to impale the man to the left of him, but as he stabbed the blade forward the assassin twisted to the side and let the sword pass mere inches in front of the assassin's chest. Then the assassin drew another dagger from inside his cloak and then twisted around so he would face the opposite direction, with his hand locked behind his own back and still in Ichigo's grasp.

But his plan did not stop there. In his other hand was the new dagger, which he held in a reverse grip and sent it in a wide swing towards Ichigo's neck.

Having little time, Ichigo brought up Zangetsu and used it to shield his head from the dagger's lethal tip. Ichigo heard the blade ping against the flat side of Zangetsu. He would have like to attack again but his instincts told him to get away. Reluctantly he released his prisoner and leaped away, just in time to avoid the dagger as it moved to his exposed side. Even though he was stronger than this guy and had a better weapon, he was still getting the drop on him! He would need to finish this guy before he got in a lucky shot and whatever poison on the edge of that blade get into his system and slowly kills him.

"Who sent you?" Ichigo demanded from the rogue.

He didn't know who this guy was, but he could tell he was some sort of assassin. And he _hasn't_ made _any_ enemies in this place and the only person he could guess wants him dead is likely the ones he overheard when he was trapped back in Shady Rest.

"Be _quiet_ and _die_ already! I'm not getting paid enough to kill someone who fights back." The Assassin yelled, rushing forward to strike.

Ichigo raised Zangetsu and struck, bringing his blade down on top of the Rogue's two daggers. They held, although the wielder was barely standing after the swing.

He nearly buckled under the force of the attack and was now struggling not to fall to his knees from the sheer force behind the blade being pressed down upon him. The assassin couldn't even try and move the blade out of the way, the force had pinned him! But luckily the blade was lifted and pressing force was removed, but _unfortunately_ that didn't last long.

A foot connected with his abdomen and he was knocked clear across the room and collided with the wall. The assassin lifted himself up, the pain rushing through his body made it hard to stand on his own accord. He leaned against the wall to find some support but before he could adjust himself he was attacked.

Looking up he was a flash of silver and black move towards him. He raised both his blades to try and halt them, but the power behind the attack knocked his own blades into his chest and himself into the wall and then through it and into the streets. He sailed through the air for less than five second before hitting the tidy stone pavement and rolling to a stop.

Those who were on the street had watched the man blown out through the wall of the Inn and then fly through the air before colliding with the ground. There were cried of alarm, some calling for Guards and others for a doctor to help the man, but many were asking the same thing: what happened? Many looked up to the gaping hole on the side of the Inn and saw a single person standing there.

Ichigo looked down at the street below and saw many people gathering around the man he had sent flying through the wall. He also noticed that he was in a completely different town, or more like a fortress. He could see massive white stone walls and guard-towers with a Barracks and a shit loud of ballista's and eagle headed tanks.

Where the hell was he?

He didn't remember anything after that night in Shady Rest. He rubbed his head and groaned when he felt his leg ache, he took the pressure off but realized that there more to it than a strain. It must be broken, he surmised. He hopped over to the bed and sat down, all the while thinking of how he came here.

He remembered being at Shady Rest, he had taken out that Tauren, he was moving to the door to see about helping everyone, but then the door exploded and then he remembered something hitting him... After that he couldn't remember a thing.

Just that weird dream about those two people talking... _but_ it definitely _wasn't_ a dream! It was _too_ real. He had to figure out what was going on, he needed to find Adelina and see what happened to Shady Rest. As he was thinking along those lines the door to the room shot open and six people charged in, brandishing swords and shields.

Ichigo didn't know what the hell was going on so he did the only think he could. He raised Zangetsu and waited for them to make the first move. He didn't know who these guys were but the fact that the last person to come in here tried to kill him, he wasn't taking any chances.

"Put down your weapon boy." One of the soldiers said, pointing his sword at Ichigo in a threatening manner.

"Like hell! I woke up in a strange place and then someone tries to kill me, no way am I putting my blade down." Ichigo yelled back defiantly.

"Listen boy, we can clear all this up, just put your weapon down." The soldier tried to calm down Ichigo; he had seen what happened to the wall and didn't want to risk losing his men to whatever this kid was.

"Not happening." Ichigo retorted, who gritted his teeth as he felt his entire body start to ache.

Obviously whatever happened to him hurt like hell! He couldn't lean on his right leg and he didn't know if he could hold against these guys.

"Wait! Stop!" A woman called, and from behind the guards Adelina charged in. She stood between the guards and Ichigo with her arms wide and frantically calling them to halt. "Please he doesn't know where he is! He was hurt when he came here!"

"Miss, get away from him, he's dangerous." One of the guards yelled.

"No! He's not! He's my friend; he wouldn't hurt anyone for no reason!" She cried out to them.

"Damn right, that guy tried to murder me!" Ichigo roared pointing to the hole in the wall which he sent his would-be assassin flying through.

"Alright kid, say I believe you, why would he try and kill you?" one of the guards questioned.

"Because…" Ichigo began, lowering his blade and staring at the warriors before him. "I know what happened at Shady Rest."

* * *

**Reviews**

**Fraiku****: Yeah, don't worry, he will get his hollow powers and kick them up a notch.**

**TeninChwang****: Don't worry; he will take part in major events, but not all of them, after all that would be highly unlikely. I will make sure he focuses on certain events and leave others open to others. Like he isn't going to be going through every dungeon, which would be shameful.**

**Also the Dragon Aspects will not so much take an interest in him, but the flights will meet him at one point or another. The Aspects will not become directly involved but they will hear of him.**

**As for the different stories, oh don't worry my friend, I will be making what you call a fantastic story that I know you will like, it will be gritty and awesome. HAHAHAHA.**

**Arrankor****: Glad you like it, and when I first came up with it, I was like; damn did I really just write that. Also no problem about the Wiki, this way you can keep up to date on all the details and such, also be sure to visit it every time I update, I will always make changes here and there every time I do so. Also I am planning on getting fan art done for the characters; also if you have any artists you could suggest to me that would be willing to do it I would be grateful.**

**Guest #1****: Sadly, no. This is Ichigo's journey; the Espada will have no active role in this story.**

**Lazylegionspark****: Thank you, also be sure to check on it later, will be adding new pages as I go along.**

**Rodmus87****: Don't worry, I don't abandon my work, it may take some time but it will grow.**

**JinzoMasko656****: Always do.**

**Dragonskyt****: Glad you like the wiki, I did my best with it. Don't worry, he is back and better than ever, well his leg hurts a bit but still. Also if you read the story right now, then you know the awakening was anything but nice.**

**Dalulzing****: He will get a pairing eventually, like a long while from now, when he grows up a bit, maybe seventeen or eighteen. So three years okay?**

**S.R.457****: Glad you like it**

**Exanime Draco****: I plan on bringing in Zangetsu later on, Ichigo will need guidance and Zangetsu is something of a mentor to him, he can always ask for help.**

**Terro of Death Skeith****: Yeah, but remember that Shaman's don't create the Lightning, they call upon it, Shamans use call rather than normal magic, they call to the elements rather than actually create the power likes mages or warlocks. Also the metal in enchanted, meaning it is designed to protect the user from harm, both physical and magical, otherwise why bother having such an armour if it cannot protect you from sources other than steel or arrows.**

**A simple fool****: Really, I think I have a guy that says I am kind of cliché, but still, I am learning to make my own, and also as this story goes it will change and become different.**

**NIX'S WARDEN****: Sadly my friend you are wrong, please pay your debt before the next update, if you pay in a check and it bounces you're a dead mother$# #$#.**

**Mandalore the Freedom****: Uhh, yeah they will never keep that thing secret for long. Also don't worry more stuff to come soon.**

**Eternal Nothingness****: Damn right, if I did that like any other author it would be boring, without any effort on a person's part then the person does not grow. Also I have seen it where people tone down a person's power. Like I read once where Byakuya fought against a Death Knight and was beaten severely before he was saved by Ronin. I am not one to tone down things, I try to give people their due, and as long as I write this, you all have my assurances that Ichigo will get his due.**

**Dragonlord1337****: Are you related to Spartan-1337, sorry just had to do it, Yeah, well sadly Shiro didn't come along, but if he had, then all types of shit would have happened.**

**Culaio****: I am glad I got that reaction out of you. It would have been funny to see. Also if she did go there Ichigo would make sure that she had a means to hide from the public and not be hauled off to be experimented on. Also it wasn't a vision; it was more like he was conscious long enough to overhear the conversation or that even while unconscious he heard them.**

**Time****: Sadly no, time moved forward no matter when one may lies, be it on the other side of the world or the other side of the galaxy. When Ichigo returns there will be problems as to what is happening there. And also I have a reason as to why he is weak, there is a reason, three actually. All of which will be opened upon later.**

**Leapinglemur****: Yes, like a… nah to dirty. Yep just keep reading and you will find out. **

**13 Silent Battlecries****: Continue to watch and you will find out.**

**Dante 101****: Ichigo will be focused on the Massacre at Shady Rest before he can move on. Not really, every time I hear a certain name it happens to me. Damn right, sexiness is sexiness whether you are awake or not. The lie, stupid yes; but funny none the less. I will fix that later on don't worry. Ichigo will get his Hollow power and they will evolve when the time comes. He is still adjusting to the new world, don't want him to just get everything during the get-go will be boring in the long run. I read it, some of their powers are simply unreal, very powerful, Ichigo, maybe, he could possibly do it.**

**Ultima-owner****: You are on the right track.**

**Freedom Guard****: Glad you like it and you are doing well as to finding out who is behind the attacks and such. But don't worry more is to come. Also Adelina may be the first, but the second girl is yet to appear. Also the wiki is not finished yet and still require time and good art to finish.**

**Tundrafire****: Well, I have to say that every Bleach Comic ends with a cliff hanger, so I am keeping up with that trend, lol, I am a troll.**

**Meech Macko****: I'm glad you like it, but try to remember that this is just a simple picture, I will get an artist to see about making them more realistic and more alive than simply those things I just did it to show you what the person looks like in general. Don't worry; if I had to I would make a Wiki for each of them. And the new United will be better set out.**

**Also Ichigo will not be going back immediately, also they will grow up.**

**Guest #2****: Don't worry; everyone gets what they deserve in the end. We all know that.**

**Guest #3****: Damn right he did.**

**Zaraki999****: Glad to hear, I hope to hear more from you in the future.**

**Saddas74****: Glad you like this and yes it is one of the funnier chapters in this story. Also about Ichigo's powers, I have to say that there are reasons behind him being on Azeroth. Also his power degraded because of three certain reasons, ones that I will release when the time comes.**

**SonoftheLost****: Glad you like it, also glad to hear you decided to make a wiki for you own story.**

**Natasha****: Ahhh, yes the girl, she is funny and says funny things, I wonder if she is one of THOSE people. LOL.**

**Well glad to see you all again, take care and see you next time.**


	15. Chapter 14: Shady Rest Massacre

**Hello everyone, hope you are having a good time. Now I am sorry it was a bit late but hey what can you do. Also I would to mention that I have reached fifty thousand views and four hundred reviews. Spectacular.**

**Also I like to let you know that this chapter is a bit short, so to make it a bit longer, I added a special bonus scene down below for the rest of you. Hope you like it.**

**Also I will be updating the wiki later on and also new pages, for new characters and also a reviews page. Which will now be updated every week to include the recent reviews that will be answered as they come in. I will continue to post the answers to the reviews in the chapters. But I will also do it with the questions from the people so that you no longer have to sort through them all to find out what I am talking about.**

**Anyway reviews and the Omake are at the bottom. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Transcendence**

**Chapter 14: The Shady Rest Massacre**

**Theramore Isle: Barracks.**

"You claim to know who was behind the attack on Shady Rest."

Ichigo looked at the aging solider sitting behind his ornate wooden desk. He had long grey hair and a matching moustache over his lightly tanned and wrinkle creased face. He was much broader and better built than some of the other soldiers that were present in the room. Showing that even as old as he may appear, he was still a warrior capable going toe to toe with anyone who got in his way and come out the victor.

But anyone with a trained eye could see the doubt in Captain Garran Vimes eyes and in his tone as he stated Ichigo's proclamation. Ichigo knew he couldn't blame the man for not believing him, he was only _fifteen_ and in the aging Captain's eyes nothing but a boy who shouldn't be wielding a blade just as long as he was tall in the first place.

"I do, I was trapped under some rubble when the Inn collapsed. I overheard two people speaking to one another." Ichigo replied, not in the slightest perturbed by the fact that the Captain didn't believe him. "I only know one man's name, it was Quarvel, but the other had the rank of Lieutenant."

"Quarvel..." Vimes murmured to himself. He knew _that_ name, but he needed to make sure that it matched the person. They had been looking for him for a long time and needed to confirm it was him. "Tell me, what _else_ did you overheard?"

"Quarvel was said to be attacking caravans on the Gold Road, and by the sounds of it, they were Horde caravans." Ichigo said.

Quiet murmuring broke out between the officers who were present in the room, some saying something about 'Raiders' and 'Possible retaliation', but they were quickly silence by a raised hand from Captain Vimes.

"I know of this Quarvel, he is a mercenary leader who attacks caravans that move down the Gold Roads, they call themselves Quarvel Raiders." Vimes said, his fingers entwined in front of his face and an angry expression creasing his features even more. He had been looking for them for months now, and last word on them was that they may be somewhere near Shady Rest but that was reported as inconclusive by the investigator that was sent out to determine if it was true. "Why was he there?"

"He and his men were posing as the Garrison who protected the town." Ichigo stated, Vimes eyes shot right up at Ichigo, who stared back into them unflinchingly. "They were using it as a cover so they couldn't be found by the Horde or the Alliance, and continue their raids."

"They were sneaking right under our noses?" Captain Vimes said his anger quite evident. The fact that his investigators found nothing when searching for them, even he wouldn't have suspected that they would hide out as Guards in a town! But the _worst_ part was that they may be on the brink of open war. "How could they have remained undetected for so long?"

"They had help." Said Ichigo, everyone's attention was brought back to him. "The Lieutenant said he discovered who they were, but made an arrangement with the Raider's: he won't rat them out to you and they would supply weapons, armour and whatever else they acquired from the caravans to a group known as Kul Tiras."

Eyes shot wide open around the room. Kul Tiras, those traitors were aiding the Raiders in attacking Horde Caravans! Those fools! And they should have known their actions would not have gone unnoticed by the Horde. They thought that openly attacking Horde forces would not result in a counter-attack. First the reports of deserters in the swamps, then a sizable force in Durotar stirring up trouble and now their involvement in the massacre of an entire town.

"Those deserters, I'll have all their heads for this." Vimes growled, slamming his hand into the table.

He would make sure each of them went to the gallows for their crimes.

"I think that there is more to this than just a bunch of deserters." Ichigo said.

Vimes looked up at the boy and immediately knew where he was going with this.

"What are you saying boy?" Vimes demanded.

His tone was heated, but not at the boy but the fact that he may actually be right.

"That there are traitors in Theramore." Shouts and screams of defiance erupted from the people inside the room.

The very thought that one of their own and even some of their people would betray those at Shady Rest for some traitors and gold, it was both an insult to the guard and the city itself.

"Silence!" Vimes roared. His glare silenced them better than his own words. The aging Captain turned back to the young Substitute and asked him in a much more civil tone, although it was less of a bark and more of a growl. "What reason do you have to believe this?"

"Because if this Lieutenant was a deserter, I doubt you would listen to his claim about where the Quarvel Raiders were. Also when they were talking Quarvel made it out that the Lieutenant was working with Kul Tiras rather than being part of the group, and only a day after I got here I was nearly killed." Said Ichigo, his eyes boring into that of the Captains who was also doing the same. The accusation was made stronger when he spoke again. "There is no way that whoever sent the Assassin would know I was from the town and the only people who knew I was in Shady Rest and inside the Inn is the Theramore Guard."

There was tense silence in the room as they took in his words. His logic was sound, the words of a traitor would be met on deaf ears and the only people that had knowledge of this incident were all soldiers in the Guard, and no longer than an hour after they were informed one witness was nearly assassinated. Things were not looking good for them, there were traitors within their ranks, and if that were anything to go by, then it was possible that the Lieutenant may actually be one of the people in this very room right now and also who knows how many more accomplices he has under his thumb.

"Leave us." Captain Vimes ordered.

His words however were not directed to the young boy in front of him, but to every single officer inside the room. People wanted to protest but his words left no room for argument.

Soon everyone was filing out of the room and eventually it left Captain Vimes and Ichigo alone in the small officer of the Captain. There was a long pause, none deciding to speak.

Ichigo seeing the Captain was in deep thought chose not to interrupt it.

Vimes indeed was in deep concentration, he was in a predicament that would not be easily solved. He had to figure out more than just who destroyed and ransacked the town, but also who was the instigator that allowed the Raiders to continue their dangerous game on the Gold Road. But with the Raiders either dead or fled, there was no way they could track them down and find out who was responsible, they could be halfway to Tanaris by now and soon they could be anywhere the port on the coast of that desert could takes them. They were out of his and Theramore's reach.

Now he was left to his own devices, but even that was a gamble he couldn't take. If there were traitors within the ranks, as much as he didn't want to believe the fact that the men he had been working with for the last four years would turn against their brothers in arms, for gold and likely animosity to the Horde. But the boy's statement and the assassination attempt on his life made it likely that was the case.

Vimes knew that if he was to investigate this he would need to do it with as few people as possible and with only those he could trust to get it done. If he didn't then he would risk the potential traitors destroying or covering up evidence that could instigate them. And then the rest of them would be none the wiser.

"You have left me in a horrible predicament boy." Captain Vimes said, grimacing as he thought over how he was going to handle this. "First I hear about the attack and that the Horde may be responsible and now you tell me that my own men, people I have served with for years, may have allied themselves with Kul Tiras and the Quarvel Raiders."

"Would you have rather I not say anything and then risk them using it to their advantage to cover up evidence or this entire event?" Said Ichigo, even his clenched teeth barely held back the anger in his voice as he spoke.

The Captain didn't seem affected by his words in the slightest.

"No, but it still doesn't make this any easier." Vimes replied, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temple. "I can't trust anyone else in the Guards, it's too risky. Maybe a few Captains and some men under my personal command, but not much else aside from them."

"What do you plan on doing?" Ichigo inquired.

He was curious on how he was going to perform an investigation when all he had to work with was some sketchy details on who may have attacked and also the fact that there are enemies within the walls of Theramore as well.

"I will send an investigator to look through the town, find anything and see if it points to someone." Vimes replied. The Captain lifted himself out of the chair and moving towards the door. "Thank you, for speaking with me, you have done a great service to Theramore, and I personally thank you for your assistance."

"I want to help." Ichigo said. Vimes halted as he reached for the handle of the door, before he turned back to the boy and looked him square in the eye. He wasn't suggesting what he thought he was suggesting was he? "I want to find out who attacked Shady Rest."

"This is no place for a boy such as you." Captain Vimes brushed him off, not wavering in the slightest in the fact that he could have someone who could help in the investigation.

He may have brought to light more than they would have ever likely found out without his help, but Vimes still wouldn't allow him to take part in this.

"I was there, I heard the people screaming, I watched from the windows as the town burnt." Ichigo said, his tone low and livid as he spoke to the Captain, his eyes burning with determination and righteous anger. "I won't stop until I find them, and when I do, I will make them pay. You can say whatever you want, but I _will_ go with or without your permission."

For the next minute both Ichigo and Captain Vimes stared at one another, not blinking or averting their eyes from one another. They simply stared and gauged the other, Ichigo was trying to get him to concede with his demands and Vimes was trying to force him to step down from his childish antics.

As much as Vimes needed help he couldn't allow this boy to just take part in the investigation, he was one of the witnesses and also had what appeared to be a personal vendetta against whoever was responsible for the attack. If the Captain will allow him into the field there was no telling what could happen, he could get angry and cause an incident that might cause more trouble.

But in his eyes he could see someone who would go out of his way and anyone else's to do what he had to, even if it is against the rules. He would do it anyway; he would investigate the incident with or without his permission.

"Alright boy, I'll let you investigate the attack, but you won't be going alone." Captain Vimes relented, turning and opening the door. Walking into the hall he turned and saw one of his guards down the hallway. "Private, come here."

Said Private moved quickly towards the Captain and saluted before saying:

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

"I need you to get Inspector Tarem, have him meet me here in ten minutes." Said Captain Vimes, to which the soldier saluted and whirled on his feet and paced away to find the man his Captain had asked for. The Captain then turned back to Ichigo who followed him into the hall. "You want to take part in this investigation? Then help my man in finding some clues as to who attacked the Inn, who the traitor is and also any clues where either could be." Ichigo nodded. "Good, meet Inspector Tarem by the stables in about twenty minutes, he will be leaving here as soon as I am done, and I'll have him keep an eye on you." Vimes said before walking back into his office.

Ichigo didn't wait for him to close the door before he moved off, going down the hall and towards the exit. He had to get packing and also see about getting Adelina ready as well. He couldn't risk leaving her here. Whoever tried to have him killed could try the same, even though they have a look out for possible traitors it doesn't mean that they can tell who they are.

* * *

Meanwhile ducked around the corner was Lieutenant Caldwell, listening in on the short conversation between Ichigo and Captain Vimes about the boy taking part in the investigation. This was starting to become a massive complication for him.

First the report he sent to the good Captain is found almost immediately when the sun rises and then the assassination attempts on both the Night Elf and that boy are thwarted and allowing details that should never have come to light being released. Also the boy had overheard Reethe at the damn Inn, he had overheard him speaking with the Raider about the attack and also the agreement made between them. But he was lucky that he didn't mention any names and didn't directly instigate Theramore or the Guards. Although it was clear that the Guards may be involved, this made moving against the boy and that Elf impossible without being caught or instigated. He would need to handle this delicately and find the right moment to strike.

* * *

**Twenty Minutes Later**

Ichigo and Adelina walked towards the stables. Ichigo was now in his armour and had Zangetsu holstered to his back with his invisible sheath. Although his armour was damaged it was still in working order and could be used without causing any hindrances. He was still getting used to the armour and was finding it odd to use. He had no qualm about using it, but the fact that he was going to need it made him think about what other things out there he is going to have to fight against to survive.

He shook his head. He was going home after he sorted this thing out, and he couldn't leave while the threat of war was looming over these people's shoulders. He was here and he could change this before any more harm came to these people.

"Are you alright. Ichigo?" Adelina asked.

Turning, the young Substitute, saw the young Druid looking at him with a worried expression on her face, and he could only smile and calm her nerves.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking on who could have done that to Shady Rest." Ichigo half-lied, he was still wondering how he was going to leave her here, she was a friend and the thought of leaving her here did not sit well with him.

But there was more to this than his worried about leaving here behind. The deaths of those people were weighing down on him more than anything he had ever experienced in his life. He was there and he was unable to save them. They were all dead and he was buried under some rubble protected from the fire and the monsters that destroyed that place and murdered all the people in it. But as much as he was despairing over the loss of all those innocent people, he was angry. He never felt so livid in his entire live, not even when he faced Grand Fisher was he this furious, he just wanted to kill something.

He shook his head again, he needed to keep calm. He couldn't allow his anger to get the better of him. If he got angry he made mistakes and when you make mistakes you get killed as well as others. He had learned that many times before even coming here and it was even more apparent here than back on Earth.

Here were hundreds of things aiming to kill him, and in ways other than just running at him intent of carving him apart. Some with poison, others with Magic and others by showing him that he was what he never thought he would be: fallible. He had been taken down with only a single strike and then those he was protecting, Lynn and Jimmy... His heart sank when he thought about it.

They were dead. That was for certain.

He just hoped… he _prayed_ that they didn't suffer.

"Excuse me, are you Ichigo?" Looking up the young Substitute saw a blonde haired man wearing full body armour of azure and grey, and Ichigo knew exactly who this man was.

"Inspector Tarem?" Ichigo asked, to which the man nodded before handing Ichigo the reins to one of the horses.

"I was told that you would be accompanying me and that you have an interest in the outcome of this investigation." Tarem said, mounting his steed and looking down at Ichigo, waiting for him to do the same.

Ichigo looked at the white stallion before him with a confusion written all over his face. He had no idea how to ride this thing. He looked at the Inspector he was to travel with and noted his confusion as well, although for completely different reasons.

"Wait, do you know how to ride?" Tarem asked, to which Ichigo sighed in defeat and shook his head, to which Tarem sighed as well. Although this time in exasperation. He had thought this boy had at least some experience in riding a horse. "Alright, just mount up and we'll take it slow. We got a long way to go and a lot of swamp to get through." Tarem said, as he turned his horse away and started to ride off towards the gate.

Ichigo stared at him for a moment before looking back at his stallion that reared its head around to look at its rider with an expression that was almost like:

_'Are we gonna do this or what?'_

_**'God, you're a dumbass.'**_He heard his Inner Hollow berate him.

After all the conversations they had about the King and Horse and who rides who, he was still the one who couldn't ride the horse.

"Shut up..." Ichigo groaned out, his irritation for his Inner Hollow and the fact he had no idea how to ride this white beast started to annoy him.

"Ichigo?" Turning he saw Adelina on her own horse and already mounted up and waiting for him to do the same.

Ichigo let out a groan before he put his armoured boot into the stirrup and hoisted himself up and into the saddle.

He shuffled around in the saddle to make himself more comfortable. It would take some getting used to but he could probably do this. He snapped the reins forward lightly and the horse went into a slow gallop forward. Ichigo shifted in his saddle as the horse moved, trying to maintain his balance.

It wasn't that hard, all he had to do was keep his body centred and he wouldn't fall off. Ichigo pulled on the reins slightly more on the right and the horse changed direction. This shouldn't take too long, if this was all he had to do then there shouldn't be a problem. He turned to Adelina and shot her a smirk.

* * *

**Four Hours later, Shady Rest**

It was a little more difficult than expected. Ichigo rode into the ruins of Shady Rest, covered in mud and drenched in murky water.

The ride here was not an eventful one but still an irritation for both him and his two companions. Multiple times had Ichigo fallen from his horse and into the swamp and gotten stuck, relying on Adelina and Tarem to pull him out of the mud or drown. And because of that they had wasted a lot of time that could have been used investigating for clues.

But they were here now, they had arrived and all they could see before them was the remains of the once great town called Shady Rest. The skeletal frames of the houses were all that remained burnt black and still smouldering after nearly two days. The smell of ash and smoke still filled the air, covering up the stink of the marshes, but there was another smell that had remained...

The smell of burnt flesh or rotted meat, the smell of the people who had died here. Their bodies still littered the ground and the homes in which they died in, either on the ground and lifeless or preserves in almost horrific statues of their last moments before being consumed. Their screaming faces were morphed beyond what could be considered human.

Charred black husks were all that remained of the former citizens of this Shady Rest. They came in many shapes and sizes, large bulky men and lithe woman and small… children. The fire may not have conscious thought, but the people who set them did. The bodies of entire families were seen cowering in corners of their houses, huddled together as the flames consumed them. Even in death they didn't leave each other's side, remaining with one another till death took them all.

Ichigo looked at this scene with horror and felt bile rise in his throat. All these people, they had been killed horribly. He knew that there were atrocities committed in his world like this, but to see it and think that whoever did this had no qualms about murdering innocent men, woman and children, disturbed him greatly.

"Search the houses." Tarem said his words just above a whisper so that they could be heard. "Find any clues you can."

Without another word Tarem dismounted his horse and entered one of the houses.

Ichigo looked on for another moment before he dismounted himself and walked towards one house, Adelina close behind him. He tried hard not to look at the bodies, but their screaming visages were already engraved into his mind, their burnt out eye sockets glaring at him, accusing him of what he did _not_ do.

He did not save them.

There was little inside the buildings, most had been burnt to nothing but ash, which was the only thing that showed the hoof prints of the Taurens who had caused it. They were inside every house and all across the street.

There was little doubt about who had attacked this place, even though they would likely think it was a Centaur attack at first glance, the fact that there was little evidence to be found showed that it was likely the Horde who attacked here. That was likely their plan, make it appear as if this was a centaur attack, that way no one could blame them for the crime, and they get the satisfaction of killing the people here. What kind of monsters were they to think that killing all these innocent people was honourable? They didn't do anything wrong, they were victims of another man's crimes and paid for it in his stead.

* * *

Ichigo slumped down onto the ground in front of the last house on the main street; he had found nothing inside, but the bodies of a young mother and three children. She tried to shield them from whoever killed them, but it was futile. The children behind her were all burnt and only husks remained of what was left of their forms. He remembered her face along with everyone else, they all had fear in them and pain, their mouths still open in silent screams and whimpering.

Eighty people called this place their home, all of them were dead. All killed in the same way, burnt to death in their homes or on the street, and their happiness and laughter was replaced with fear and dying screams.

Ichigo jolted up when he felt something touch his shoulders. He leapt to his feet and away from whoever was behind him, he twisted around and reached for Zangetsu and halted when he saw Adelina standing there.

Her shock almost equal to Ichigo's.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" Adelina asked.

It may have seemed stupid to ask, but she had to do it, she had to ask and make sure he was at least trying to cope with this. If not he would break under the strain.

Ichigo let his grip on Zangetsu go slack and allowed his arm to flop down beside him. He didn't know if he could answer that question. He wanted to come here to find the people responsible for all this and now he was wallowing in his despair. These people didn't deserve to die like this.

Looking around he could see the bodies that littered the streets, cut down and burnt, some were even still alive after having their limbs removed.

No one deserved this.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo lied once more, not wanting to make his friend worry.

She didn't need to worry about him; he had to handle this himself. He needed to make it through this, if not for himself then for everyone back home who is counting on him.

Without letting Adelina another chance to speak he turned and walked to the final place that had yet to be searched, Shady Rest Inn.

It was likely the still most intact of all the buildings present that remained in these so called ruins. The framework for the second floor could be seen and what remains of the roof of the ground floor, and all aside from the front and part of the right wall of the Inn were still intact and supporting up what remained of the second floor. The once brown and grey wood and brick that made up the building had now been charred black and appeared to be still decaying slowly.

Ichigo stepped through the threshold of the building and almost shuddered when he remembered the attack that knocked him out.

His hand travelled to his stomach and he felt even through his gloved hand that the armour had been slightly malformed from the intense heat of the lightning bolt that had struck him. Only thanks to the magical enchantment on the armour it had saved him. Ichigo could see how even in a world where Shinigami do not exist, here he is as vulnerable to powers and blades of any other being. Great power or not he was still at the mercy of the hands of death and of his enemies.

He shook his head. He wouldn't be here long enough to be at anyone else's mercy again. Once he finds these bastards, he was going to make them pay for what they did here, and he still needed to find out who these bastards are.

Turning towards what remained of the banqueting part of the Inn he saw Tarem looking over a large piece of metal on the ground. Moving closer Ichigo noticed that it was a large metal shield. He faintly remembered seeing something like that before.

Flashes of his fight with that Tauren came to his mind, the same Tauren that had his arm cut off by his Zanpakutō; it looked like he had left the arms and his shield here. He saw a large piece of charred mass right next to Tarem that was likely the severed limb. Out of all the charred bodies in this village, that was the only one that deserved to be burnt, he was just angry that the rest of him got away before that could be done.

Turning his thoughts away from such dark and twisted ideas of revenge Ichigo looked at the shield.

It was a simple square kite shield with a triangular base that gave it a sharp point; the edges were much thicker in order to help prevent the shield being cut in half if struck at the sides. But that did its previous wielder little good when he cut the cow-bastards arm off. It completely covered in black soot and the grey metal was turned completely black, it was unlikely they would get anything from this aside from the fact it was used by one of the Tauren that attacked the Inn.

"This shield is too big for a normal warrior to wield easily, but maybe not for a Tauren." Tarem said, looking up at Ichigo.

The Substitute nodded to the inspector's deduction, although he likely had previous knowledge of the attack thanks to his testimony to the Captain, but still he had to make sure.

"I cut that off along with the arm it was attached to from its owner." Said Ichigo, to which Tarem nodded as well before going back to inspecting it.

That was likely all they were going to get out of that piece of metal. Turning Ichigo moved around the Inn looking for anything else, most of the upper floor now littered the lower, crating large mounds of debris and making traversing the Inn a little difficult. Not to mention dangerous as it was now likely structurally unstable.

Moving through the place he eventually passed through the spot where the wall separated the kitchen and the dining hall. This is where he was likely thrown after he was attacked, he saw several spots where he could have been buried and still overheard everything that was spoken between Quarvel and that Lieutenant. Ichigo dare not go any further, the thought of coming across more bodies was inevitable, but the bodies he would find would likely be that of James Hyal and his family.

Thought there were many others in the village that he had found burnt and dead, they were someone he met with, talked to, sang with, and laughed with... If he found them in here, he didn't know what would happen; he didn't know what it would do to him.

"He'll bring you mead…" Ichigo heard a feint whisper.

It carried through the quiet and charred remains of the Inn.

He turned and tried to find it, was he hearing things?

"He'll bring you beer…" Ichigo's eyes widened when he heard it again.

Someone was here, someone was alive! He felt his heart leap at the fact someone survived this whole mess.

"Hey! Someone is alive!" Ichigo cried out, trying to alert Tarem and Adelina that he had found a survivor. He paced around looking for the person he had heard. "Hello, can you hear me? We are here to help you."

"A… grinning face… ear to ear…" He heard a whimper.

It was a man, but why was he singing that song? Ichigo looked over to the doorway he heard the once joyful song now contained untold sorrows.

He ran to the door and looked down into the small room; there was nothing inside except for the James Hyal. Ichigo would have been glad to see he was alive, but all he could do was stare in muted horror of what the once kind hearted man had been reduced to. He was leaning against the wall, his eyes were full of tears and he was holding onto the bodies of two people. One appeared to be a young woman, her hair had been burnt away and only a charred husk remained and the other was a young boy.

Ichigo could only stare in shock as he realised that he was cradling the bodies of both his wife and child. He would stroke his son head and he would hold his wife close and what would remain with him for the rest of his days were the words that were coming from his lips.

"He serves… us all…" All those he once knew were all gone; he had no one else left now.

"From year to year…." His life had been destroyed; there was nothing left for this poor man but years of misery and insanity.

"They call him… smiling Jim…" He would never be known by that name again, he would never be the same again.

He was a broken man who had nothing left to live for.

Tarem and Adelina traversed the small pile that separate them from Ichigo and found him staring through the doorway, shock and horror were the only emotions on his face as he stared forward, not even bothering to acknowledge their presence.

"Ichigo, where is…." Tarem tried to ask where the survivor was.

He would prove vital in determining who was responsible for the attack, but as soon as he looked through the door he saw him, the man was cradling the bodies of two people, a woman and young boy.

"By the goddess…" Adelina murmured, bringing her hands to her mouth as if she was to be sick.

The very sight of the man she had been served by only two days ago cradling those two bodies was one of the most horrible things she has ever seen done to a person.

Ichigo turned and left, not a word passed his lips as he rushed off and away from the man who had lost his sanity the same night he lost his home and family. Tarem and Adelina watched as he left and then turned back to the man who was still mourning the family he had refused to let go.

* * *

Ichigo went back into the dining hall and leaned heavily against the wall. He tried to stop his heart from leaping out of his chest.

The very sight of what that man had been reduced to send a shock through his system like no other. Ichigo looked into his eyes and only saw misery and pain. So much that it overshadowed any other he had known.

Even he could not even begin to think he knows what that man is going through. The pain, the sorrow, the despair. No one deserves a fate like that; no one deserves to have their family taken from them. This shouldn't have happened they shouldn't have died; he should have protected them... he should have protected them all...

Ichigo screamed out in anger and slammed his fist into the wall. The already weakened wall collapsed under the force of the blow, bringing down what little remained of the roof above the dining area down. Ichigo stood there quietly, ignoring the falling mortar around him and completely focused on what happened to James Hyal.

_How_ did they know about the Raiders?

_How_ did they discover the fact that they were in the town?

_How_ did they know about the town?

_How_ could have they done _this_?

_"…for trespassing into our territory, you will answer to our laws and my blade."_

The words of that Tauren passed through his mind. He was willing to kill him and Adelina for no other reason than simply passing over what was his land.

_'No, could he have known?'_ Ichigo thought.

Could he really have known of the attack? Could he have planned this whole thing and simply sent him here so that he could be killed in the attack when it came?

_"You trespass in these lands and I cannot allow you to leave here alive..."_

It was the Horde who attacked here; it was the Horde who says that the Barrens were their territory... He _must_ know who attacked them!

Adelina rushed into the dining area and nearly was hit in the head by a piece of roofing from above. She yelped and leapt away, watching warily for anything else that threatened to fall down onto her. She looked around the now roofless room and found Ichigo standing there; she started to move towards him, not finding the courage to speak. She saw him standing there, deep in thought and the fact that the wall had been reduced to rubble scared her.

"Ichigo…?" She asked hesitantly, moving her hand forward to try and coax a response out of him, but before she could even touch him he turned on his feet.

Adelina jumped back and nervously watched Ichigo moved away.

Picking up the blackened Iron shield as he strode to the now open front part of the Inn. Leaping over the small amount that was left he walked down the street towards his horse. Behind Adelina came Tarem with James Hyal over his shoulder. The inspector looked at the destruction of the wall that was once standing and the fact the shield was gone.

He saw Adelina staring off into the distance outside the Inn; he set James down and strode over to her.

"Where is Ichigo?" Tarem asked. Before she could speak a high pitched neigh from a horse caught his attention and he saw Ichigo on his stallion going full gallop out of the town and westwards. "Where the hell is he going?!"

Adelina didn't know at first where he could be going, she thought he would have charged off somewhere in the swamp to let off some steam, but he was going to the Barrens. He couldn't possibly be thinking about going after the Horde?

They would kill him no matter how strong he was, but he wouldn't know where to look even if he was going after them, and that is when she realised that the people he was going after was located at a post near the base of the Mountains. He was going to find the only person that she could think of that could answer his questions, only one person that likely know who was responsible for this attack: Drekhve.

* * *

**The Barrens, North of Blackthorn Ridge**

Drekhve was sharpening his sword with a grinding stone. He was sitting just outside the small hut on top of a small overcrop near the base of the western mountains of the Barrens. He shared this place along with five other warriors. They were aspirants looking to earn the honour of being called Warriors and the first thing they needed to do was start by dealing with the rampart Quilboar population. They were becoming a large threat for several months now. Something odd was happening down in Rozorfen, it would seem something has been driving them out, and this was forcing them to spread across the Barrens and into Mulgore and Durotar.

He had dealt a serious blow to their standing forces a few days ago, and on his way back to this post he had counted forty more. He was definitely starting to get ahead of the other Warriors that brought him up to two hundred and seventy five. That would put his in third place with the rest, just thirty behind Shay'va and fifty eight behind Tarule. Although scoring may appear childish for some Warriors such as them, it was a good way to improve productivity and the willingness to get the job done. Also it dealt with the boredom.

But right now he was busy trying to bring his weapon and armour back up to working order. After his little brawl with Ichigo and that Quilboar army he had taken some substantial damage. Sadly he wasn't much of an armourer. Shay'va was the one who helped maintain their weapons and gear, he was admittedly more of a passive Warrior than an aggressive one, and therefor took up a different art.

Alchemy, they were all surprised when they heard him tell them. They didn't understand why he didn't take up something like Smithing, Weapon Forging or even Armouring! Although he found those things to be important for a Warrior, to maintain their armour yes, but he was drawn to another art.

His mother and father were both from different tribes. His father was a Warrior of the Steelrage clan, some of the fiercest Warriors that one could find in Tauren Society, and in fact many Bluffwalkers are from the same clan he was born within. But his mother was of the Druid, and part of the Mistrunner tribe, who were dedicated to healing the world in all its plights. Even the Barrens were being treated by them so that it can heal and recover.

But in the end he took up his father's mantle as a Warrior of the Steelrage, but unlike his father who was a force of nature that would strike without warning or mercy, Drekhve was more like his mother in character: calm, level-headed and only chose to fight when he had to. He also enjoyed reading parchment and was taught by his mother how to create potions, and soon enough he was on his way to becoming an Alchemist. Although his father thought he should leave the picking of plants to the Druids and let the Warriors nourish the soil with the enemy's blood. But this was his path and he would see it to the end as he wanted, and right now he was sharpening his sword and trying to get it back into the condition he had it before that fateful day when he crossed blades with Ichigo Kurosaki.

A neigh caught his attention. Rising quickly he gazed over the empty planes before him, he could see nothing in the distance approaching, but if he heard that then it meant that whoever was here was close. Moving towards the edge of the overcrop he looked down. He saw someone down at the base of the slope, a white stallion could be seen and its rider, a man in varying pieces of coloured armour and a large sword on his back wrapped in a cloth, with bright orange hair. Drekhve looked down at the person that had just passed through his mind only a moment ago, Ichigo Kurosaki was down below him, quickly the young human dismounted and climbed the slope.

Drekhve took a few steps back. He may consider the boy an honourable Warrior but the fact that he came here surprised him, why was he here and where was that Elf girl that was always with him? But the fact he was walking up the hill threateningly made the Tauren Warrior prepare for a possible attack. Soon Ichigo was standing on the edge of the cliff and staring at Drekhve intently.

For a moment there was nothing said between them, Drekhve wondered why he was here and in such a hostile manner, what had happened when they last parted that had caused this?

"Did you know?" Ichigo asked, his voice barely above a whisper, but carried an edge so lethal Drekhve could have sworn he had just been cut.

But the Tauren warrior looked at his oddly, what was he talking about?

"What do you mean? Know about what?" Drekhve inquired civily, he didn't want to fight the boy, at least not without knowing what was going on here?

"Did you know about Shady Rest?" Ichigo replied, then he threw at him a blackened shield. The large metal object crashed into the dirt and slid towards Drekhve and ended up just at his feet. "Did you know about the attack?"

Attack? What was he talking about?

"What attack? What happened?" Drekhve asked.

"Shady Rest was attacked, everyone there is dead; they burnt it to the ground." Ichigo stated. Drekhve looked on in shock. The town had been destroyed, how? Did the Centaur or Quilboar raid it? No, Ichigo was asking if he knew, but how would he…. Did he think he was behind it? "There were two Tauren there, that shield belonged to one of them."

He was insinuating that he knew of the attack, he was saying that it was his people that attacked the town and slaughtered all the people there. Did he think that he was so low to take part and even know of such an atrocity?

"I have no knowledge of that attack." Said Drekhve, gritting his teeth in annoyance rather than anger over the fact that the boy would think his people would sink so low to murder innocents.

"Then how do you explain this shield, it was off the arm of one of the bastards I cut down." Ichigo snapped, his anger now coming in full force on the Tauren. Ichigo's hands were shaking as he stared at the massive bull before him. "The Horde attacked Shady Rest."

"That doesn't mean anything, the Horde would never attack you village. There is a treaty between Theramore and the Horde, there is to be no open aggression between them." Drekhve responded.

"Then what about Ashenvale, the Horde is there fighting against the Night Elves over fucking lumber." Ichigo roared. "What's stopping them from going over their border and into Dustwallow Marsh and raiding the town?"

"My people are not savages, and the Warsong Clan are some of the worst, but my people and neither the Warchief would ever tolerate an attack on a civilian population, especially without reason." Drekhve growled.

His temper rising at the disrespect the boy was throwing in his face about how his people had destroyed that town. There were only families there, no one else.

"And yet the town was raised by your people." Ichigo stepped forward threateningly. "All those people are dead, you people say you value honour above all else, where the fuck is your honour when your people butchered all those families?"

Drekhve's eyes narrowed at the boy, no one dares disrespect the honour of the Tauren or the Horde.

"I would kill you right now for such an insult." Drekhve threatened through clenched teeth.

"That's all you do, go around and looking for something to kill." Ichigo retorted. "Since this place hasn't anything interesting, you went after those people right?"

"I will not allow you to show such disrespect; my people would never participate in such a ruthless act!" Drekhve said, taking a step forward in response.

"Then prove it!" Ichigo yelled, to which both warriors continued to advance on one another, until finally they face to face with one another, or in Ichigo's case, face to torso.

"I shall." Drekhve said, reaching for his claymore and pulling it from his sheath, he held it up and twisted it into a reverse grip and stabbed it down, the sword impaled itself into the earth as Drekhve continued. "On my honour and that of the Bloodhoof Tauren, I will search for these honourless mongrels that dare to threaten the stability between the Horde and Alliance."

Ichigo looked into his eyes and for a moment considered and weighed his words, and then he nodded and brought his hands out. The Tauren clamped around the boys wrist and they sealed their agreement, they would both search for whoever attacked the town of Shady Rest and would bring them to Justice.

* * *

**Omake – Frostmourne: The Rising**

**Urahara's Shoten, Underground Training Room**

Ichigo leapt away as Urahara swung Benihime at him, the blade sliced through a stone boulder like it was nothing, gritting his teeth in frustration as he tried to defend himself against the crazy nut job. All the while he had that damn smile on his face, if was infuriating to only be able to run away as he clung to the damn handle of all that remained of his Zanpakuto.

"Is this all I can do?" Ichigo thought to himself, he had come all this way to fight and save Rukia and yet he couldn't even muster the nerve to fight back. "How can I do what that guy told me?"

* * *

_Ichigo felt his world go black as the pain enveloped him, he was blinded as white liquid poured from his eyes and his screams were muffled as the same liquid vomited up from his mouth. He couldn't stop it; his couldn't help but scream in agony as the transformation continued. Every waking moment he tried to remain conscious was another that was filled with untold agony. Above him he could see three figures looking down at him, before his vision went black and the pain he felt vanished along with all other feeling._

* * *

**_Ichigo's Mindscape_**

_Ichigo eyes opened and found himself looking up towards a cloud covered sky that cracked with lightning, blue flashes of light could be seen everywhere. He felt the cold chill as frigid wind passed over him, freezing him to the bone; quickly he shot up to find himself no longer within the dark pit Urahara had thrown him into. But in a frozen barren tundra, he was in the middle of a snowy valley between to massive mountain ranges, all he could see was snow and rock and hear only the wind and thunder above. Where in the hell was he?_

_"You are here." Ichigo heard a whisper on the wind, quickly turning to the voice his eyes widened in shock at what lay behind him. Instead of a similar long valley that now lay behind him, a massive tower of ice and snow planted within a massive field of jagged columns of Ice that rose up two hundred feet into the air. But at the pinnacle of the tower Ichigo could see a single crystal of a deep ocean blue._

_"Come to me." Another call echoed in his ears, Ichigo gazed up at the crystal and immediately he felt a gaze upon him, there was something above him, it was watching him, studying him, judging him._

_Without another word he walked, taking one step after the other towards the massive spire of ice and snow, moving towards the person who likely held to answers he sought._

_He travelled for what seemed like hours, fighting against the colds winds and the treacherous terrain, trying to find a way to the tower, and as he approached its looming structure cast a forbidding shadow over him. All around him was a forest of icy claws and jagged spikes that jutted from the ground, this place was both a nightmare, yet somehow, it almost was a place he could call his own, as if this was a part of him. His journey halted at the base of the spire, a long winding stairwell lead up the spire to its pinnacle, yet before he could make his ascension he was forced to a halt._

_"You tread upon this plane as if it is your own, it is not." Came a voice from the wind, its words were low and hollow, yet there was some sort of sage like wisdom that carried itself in the tone, as if the owner of the voice was a Wiseman._

_"Who are you?" Ichigo called out, his words echoing on the wind and travelling far._

_"You ask my name, yet you know not who you are." The voice chided, as if scorning him for his lack of knowledge._

_"What are you talking about? I am Ichigo Kurosaki!" he called out once more._

_"You know what you are named, but do you know who you actually are?" the voice said, its words were a riddle, as if testing him to find out who he really is._

_"Shut up! What the hell is the point of this?" Ichigo yelled, but was met only by a chuckle, a deep and dark laughter that made ones bone tremble more than the cold air around him._

_"I wish to see if you are worthy of the mantle I wish to bestow upon you." The voice said._

_"What are you talking about?" called out Ichigo, he kept speaking in riddles, how was he meant to know what he was talking about._

_Then from above something fell from the sky, he saw one shards of blue ice collide with the ground, and then he turned as another did so just opposite of him. Then he felt the ground beneath him begin to buckle, and with another collision the earth he stood upon shattered and he fell into the darkness, falling beside him were the same blue ice shards, but there were dozens more, hundreds more._

_"Your first awaits you." The voice said as he fell. "You seek to regain your power, I give you this chance." Ichigo searched around looking for him. "With the power within you, you will become more than you ever could be."_

_"How? I don't have the powers of a Death God anymore!" screamed Ichigo as he continued to fall._

_"Foolish child, you know not that you hold the power within you." The voice said. "What was destroyed by Byakuya Kuchiki was merely the power given to you by Rukia, what I offer you, is your true power."_

_"My… power." Ichigo murmured._

_"Yes, it has been lying dormant for too long, it has slept and remained unused for years, and only now have you begun to feel it." the voice said. "This place, the connection you have to it, but it is fading."_

_True enough Ichigo watched as the world above him began to fade and decay._

_"You have not much time." the voice called, booming and commanding. "Find the shell that holds the power you seek, for if you do not, then you will become a mindless animal, fit only to be slaughtered."_

_"How the hell do I find it!?" called out Ichigo as his body slammed into the ground and then he felt himself sinking, all around him was darkness, with only a small amount of illumination from the lights of the hundreds of crystals that had followed him here._

_'How do I find it?' Ichigo thought, how was he to find his power, how was he meant to do anything when he couldn't even get out of a pit before he turned into a hollow. 'I can't even sense spiritual energy all that good either.'_

_Ichigo knew he had only a few minutes to find his Death God powers before he would turn into a hollow, but how? He did not know. If he knew what his powers looked like then maybe he could do something._

_'Wait…' Ichigo thought for a moment, he remembered something Uryu told him when they first met about spiritual energy, but he also knew that he was a Death God, but how? "He said…'didn't you know?'" No there was more, what was it? 'Didn't you know that...? Shingami's…' Come on, what was it? 'Shinigami's spiritual ribbons are red.' That was it!_

_Ichigo focus his senses and soon enough a seen of white ribbons surrounded him, searching he found a single ribbon before him, red and… covered in strange symbols. Ichigo grabbed the cloth and instantly the shards dispelled aside from one that moved towards him. When close a hole opened at the top of it and there was the hilt of a sword._

_"What… the…?" Ichigo choked, this was his power, but it was just the sword._

_"Very good." Ichigo turned and found only darkness around him, where was this man. "You found it, and have completed the first stage of your ascension to take upon the mantle of my power."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"I am someone who wishes you to strive forward." The voice said. "In you there is a power and will to fight, that overshadows any force in this world and beyond, your indomitable spirit is what will allow you to succeed and overcome any obstacle in your path."_

_Ichigo didn't know what he was talking about, it was always in riddles._

_"Who are you?" Ichigo called again, to which he was only met with silence._

_"My name is ******" the voice called, Ichigo didn't hear it aside from static, what was that. "I see, you are not yet ready." The world around them began to shake and the waters Ichigo was in began to churn and thrash. "Quickly take the sword, return to the world and show them your true power, show them how much of a warrior you are."_

_Ichigo looked towards the hilt of the zanpakuto and grasped it, and when he did he felt the power he had lost days ago return to him. He felt the power of the Death God's flow through his body and strengthening him. With a roar he tore it from the ice and then all around him exploded with a bright light._

* * *

**Underground Training Room**

Ichigo felt a hand descend on his shoulder, turning Ichigo saw Urahara there right behind him with Benehime raised and ready to strike, before Ichigo was tugged back and thrown off his feet. Looking up he saw the blade descending towards him, Ichigo rolled to the side and avoided the strike as it shattered the ground beneath him. Ichigo rolled to his feet and took off once more, running for his life as the man chased after him, intent on killing him where he stood.

'Shit! He's going to kill me!' Ichigo's thoughts screamed within his mind. 'I'm going to die! I'm going to die!' Although there was fear within him, he also held some frustration and anger, he had come here to get his powers back to save Rukia and now he was going to die. It was pathetic and he knew it, how was he meant to do anything when he couldn't even stand and fight.

'Stop running you coward.' Ichigo halted, the voice had returned, and it was brimming with anger and disappointment. 'You call yourself a warrior; you are full of doubt and fear. A true warrior does not feel this; he instils it into his enemies.'

'I can't fight him, I don't have a weapon.' Ichigo retorted, his anger overshadowing his fear of death, then how world shifted around him, no longer within the underground training area, but on a high perch overlooking a frozen wasteland.

"Pathetic." Ichigo turned and instead of thinking he would see nothing, he was wrong, and his eyes widened at the very sight before him.

Sitting upon a throne carved into the Ice of a massive blue crystal was an ethereal being covered in armour. Silver armour covered his feet, greaves, chest, wrists hands and shoulders, skulls and spikes adorned them, a screaming visage of the damned and suffering that was to accompany any who fell before him. Ichigo could see the power that radiated from the being in front of him, it was all encompassing, and Ichigo felt dread and anger seep from seep from the being that sat upon that Frozen Throne.

But it was the crown that drew his attention; it was a full face and head crown, with only a slot for the eyes which had a nose guard, and a narrow vertical opening beneath that guard that gradually opened up and out of the crown. The very top of the helm was made in some twisted mockery of a crown, sharped spikes jutted out along the top of the helmet and around, with the largest being at the front and having a small blue crystal imbedded within. Along with a large spike that had the depiction of a skull that stared with a much hatred as the one who wore it.

But there was nothing there, just a dark mist that was held within the armor by an unseen force, and all that tell Ichigo that there was something within, were the two glowing orbs that were as cold as the tundra behind him. He could certainly say he was at the mercy of the being before him; it was as if he was standing before a king than anything else, but this was no normal form of royalty, this being was a ruler of something much darker.

"You run and hide and yet you still have the nerve to think yourself better than him." said the voice; his words were dark and foreboding and promised pain unimaginable to any who defied him. "Better, than me." His words dropped into a deep growl, his words distorted and were filled with the echoing of many voices, screaming, wailing, and begging, all at the same time. He felt a pressure on him and every fibre of his being was being squeezed by the mere gaze of the being before him.

"I can't beat him!" Ichigo tried to refute him, true he thought he could defeat Kisuke is he had a sword, but he didn't. "I cannot beat the guy without a sword!"

"Then call out my name." The voice said simply, but the echoing of the damned could still be heard. "Take my power and crush the boisterous fool."

"But how?" said Ichigo, how was he meant to take his power and wield it when he could even hear his words.

"Then you are not worthy to hear my name." The voice said, again disappointment laced its cold and dark words. "But…" Ichigo looked up; hope in his eyes, maybe there was an alternative. "I can give you another power, though you will not take the mantle of my being, you may take up my sword."

Ichigo watched as a crystal rose from the frozen ground in front of him, but it was not the crystal that drew Ichigo's eyes, but what lay within, a sword, both beautiful and terrifying.

"Take this weapon, become instrument of war." The voice said. "Where you tread, your enemies will know their doom approaches." Ichigo reached for the crystal. "You will be a force of retribution that will cleanse all in your path." Ichigo touched the crystal and it glowed. "Take up my Runeblade, take up…"

Urahara watched as Ichigo stood in the middle of the small pass between two large rock formations, he was just standing there and doing nothing, he sighed to himself, it looked like Ichigo wasn't going to be able to do this. He had hopes for the boy, he had promise and if he actually pulled this off then they could do more than just save that Rukia girl, but it would seem that he had only wasted what little time had used on the boy. It would be best to finish this, a single strike and he could remove the boys powers, no point in letting him keep them, if he couldn't grow and get stronger, than he was only a danger to himself at the moment.

Urahara charged forward and readied to strike, but before he could make a move Ichigo twisted around and then he raised the handle up. The former twelfth division captain felt a spike in his reiatsu, had he actually done it?

"FROSTMOURNE!" A massive explosion of light and energy erupted from Ichigo's position, Urahara halted in his charge to shield himself from the sudden outburst of spiritual energy. Urahara had to admit that the outburst was very powerful; he didn't expect him to release it like that. But he noticed something coming from him, he almost considered it dark and oppressing, but not as a force, as if there was something that was judging him right now and seeing if he was worthy. How odd.

Urahara opened his eyes and was surprised by what he saw, instead of a barren desert area he was in the middle of a frozen wasteland, the boys release has frozen everything, and it looked like his Zanpakuto was an Ice-type. Looking back he noticed Ichigo kneeling and in his right hand was his zanpakuto, and what a zanpakuto it was.

The blade of the weapon double edge and silver, there were few imperfections and chipped pieces here and there, but still solid and sturdy. As the blade went closer to the hilt certain patterns began to emerge, along one edge near the top of the blade was several jagged teeth, which looked sharp enough to actually rip someone apart. Also along the flat of the blade were some intricate symbols that glow a deep azure blue and pulses like a heart, as if the very thing was alive.

Above the blade was the hit that came in three parts. The first were the crossguards, there were two, and both were connected to a triangular plate that was inscribed with similar runes as on the blade. From this two four inch long claws jutted out from either side of the plate and looked as sharp as the blade itself. Above them was the second crossguard, solid metal and intricately designed, on the end of both were skull pummels that added to image of the blade, and wrapped around the lengths were horns. These horns led to the final piece of the crossguard, the ram skull that adorned the plate and its eye socket were aglow with a strange energy and mist. The handle was metal and with rings along the lengths with a simple pummel. All in all it was a very scary weapon to look at, but it was likely just for show.

"My Kurosaki that is a scary looking sword you have there." Urahara said his voice jovial as always and without a care in the world. "Now that you have released your Zanpakuto we can really start stage three."

Silence only met him, Urahara raised his sword at the ready, as Ichigo rose he pulled the sword from the snow covered ground. His stance was relaxed and yet ready to change at any moment.

"Urahara." Ichigo asked, the shop keeper looked at the young shinigami and watched as he raised his blade up and held it horizontally in front of him and raising his free hand over it. "Please dodge the next attack."

Urahara wondered what he was talking about, did he actually think that he could take him down with his next attack. Then Urahara watched as the three remaining needles from the Bankin shattered from his shoulder, and then he swiped his over the blade and veil of energy appeared and coiled around the blade.

"I cannot hold back!" Ichigo called out, as he raised the blade up and then slashed it downwards, Urahara quickly reacted.

"Nake: Chikasumi no Tate!" But the next moment an explosion occurred and all around was consumed by a bright light.

In the distance Tessai, Ururu and Jinta hid behind a rock, the attack from Ichigo's shikai had created a small shockwave and they were forced to take cover behind a still crumbling rock. But only a few seconds later did the wave dissipate and disappear completely. Hesitantly they all moved to check and see what had happened, Urahara was very close to that explosion, and they had no idea if he was alright or not. And when they peeked over they were shocked by what they were looking at.

Urahara looked at his Blood Mist Shield and wash surprised that there was anything left of it, it had been nearly torn apart, and there wasn't even a single inch of the shield that didn't have a crack in it. That attack of Ichigo's was powerful; he looked down at his zanpakuto to see a thin layer of frost over his weapon as well as a long crack running along the length of the blade, she had taken a beating despite the shield, that was one powerful attack. He almost regretted not taking Ichigo's advice on dodging when he told him to.

But what surprised him most was the fact that beside him was a large opening in the earth that went as far as he could see and also his had was laying on the ground and was utterly ruined. He would have cried then and there if not for a voice that took him out of his stupor.

"Should we continue our match Urahara?" looking up Kisuke could see Ichigo looking down at him from behind the Blood Mist Shield, his eyes betraying nothing but determination and the will to fight on. Also in his hand was the blade that was still glowing with power, and it looked like it was eager in some way, the way those eyes in the rams skull looked at him made him a little nervous.

"No need, you have passed the third stage." Urahara said. Before he turned and picked up his hat and put it on his head, for a short moment there was silence. And then unexplicently Urahara fell to the ground and started rolling around like a child having a tantrum. "It's not the same! You ruined my hat! You ruined my hat!"

Ichigo watched him behave like a child for only a moment before he lifted up Frostmourne and examined the blade. The power that seeped off it was incredible; he never thought he could wield a weapon like this. With it he knew for certain he could save Rukia.

* * *

**Reviews:**

**NIX'S WARDEN****: My you have some anger issues there. But in seriousness I meant no real offense. It was my poor sense of humour at the moment that caused this. For that I apologize. **

**Kaldi96****: Thank you. **

**Syls****: Glad you like it and i hope I continue to impress as the story goes on. **

**Ultima-owner****: Yep, also the people hiring him didn't pay enough to get a better one. Cheap Scates. **

**Lazylegionspark****: Glad you like it. Also yeah I try my best to make the chapters intense and awesome as possible by using elements from both things that I am crossing over. **

**Cabellism****: Glad you love it, Also he will train with different people and learn new things. After all what's the point in going somewhere and not getting to learn about the world you are in and what it can offer. Also I made an Omake for this chapter. Hope you like it. **

**Septon****: Well Tite Kubo does it all the time and it pisses me off. So I am sticking with it. Also glad you like it, yeah I kind of like how the good doctor turned out. Also about the Isshin thing, I was planning on that but, still I am working out several details about what is happening back home. Also the Horse 'Shiro' is quiet because he really hasn't had a chance to really take over, he is still there, but only in spirit. Pun intended. **

**Culaio****: The reason they plotted in the Inn was mainly because that is where in the game most of the evidence was found. I simply was helping it along. Also they had no idea he was there, Ichigo was under rubble and only regained consciousness for a few minutes. **

**Also everything that is happening is happening for a reason, trust me on this. I have this set out in a way that affects both worlds and how they will change. Also I am not vindictive enough to allow such bad things happen, there will be times when all hope is lost. But remember, I always have a trick up my sleeve. **

**Fraiku****: Glad you like them, I do try my best when it comes to fight scenes. **

**Piterio****: Glad you like it. **

**Blindluck92:**** Glad you like it, I do try to stick to things of beleivability. Although Ichigo is tough, a man with short swords for weapons is much master with them than compared to a person with a massive sword. That is true for Ichigo as well. **

**S.R.457****: Glad you like it. Well it looks like the man inside the Inn *Puts on Glasses* Just checked out. YEEEAAAHH! **

**Dragonlord1337****: Very true. Going all out like that is not neseccary and just show boating, also Ichigo is a force to be reckoned with indeed. **

**Guest #1****: Yes I do, so you want me to level Theramore to the ground? Seriously dude, sometime being unique is better than following a trend also him causing death and destruction isn't exactly going to help him in the matter. What if he killed Jaina, he would have killed the only person he knew that could get him home. Also I have read many differen crossovers and the one that I liked the most are by BahamutReishiki. He has done some very good crossovers. He is my inspiration for this story. **

**Mandalore the Freedom****: Oh it has been going on for a while now. Also I agree with your assessment on the assassins, they tend to be cloak and daggers rather than upfront and personal fighters. **

**Nick Terakidan****: Sup Nick. Calm down Nick you're talking a mile a minute. Ichigo getting Frostmourne is still up for debate. Also him learning from the different classes is also the same. I will make a poll later on so people can cast their votes. Also as far as I know about his Quincy powers are going to be sticking to cannon and he will get them whenever he gets back. Also that doesn't mean he might not get a kick ass bow that shoots energy arrows. Along with some other cool items as well. As for the Nero thing, didn't consider than, might be good to see Ichigo using some of those skills. **

**A Simple Fool****: Glad you like, the doctor is my crowning achievement in that chapter. **

**Freedom Guard****: Use the Web Series Red vs. Blue that is currently in its Eleventh Season and is awesome, Noooo. How could you think of such a things :D **

**Don't worry Hallan is going to be getting hers soon enough. Also the danger is only going to increase as it goes on. Also Adelina is an OC meaning she was created specifically for this story. As for the next one all I can say is she is kind of violent. Give it time and you will see. Also as for discovering the people behind the attack, it will all come together when the final chapter of the Shady Rest are is completed. **

**Zathol****: That's true, I actually did consider that but thought a fight scene would be good. Yes Adelina will grow as she gets older, everyone does, she is fourteen after all and in her early teens. As for Ichigo and Jaina getting together. There is sadly a big age gap between them. Jaina is about thirty right now and Ichigo is fifteen, also even though Ichigo is a shinigami, he has a human body and life aside from his duties as a Shinigami, so him shacking up with her is something he likely wouldn't consider since there is a gap in their ages. **

**Leapinglemur****: Yeah, I liked that scene, had it planned for weeks in advance and when it came time to write it was perfect. **

**SonoftheLost****: Ichigo will get his hollow form, don't worry. As to when, still up for debate, but definitely before Cataclysm. **

**Meech Macko****: Sorry about that, couldn't think of anything else to lengthen it. Adelina didn't know that anyone was out to get her and Ichigo, she didn't know that there were traitors in the guard. After all would you expect a police officer to shoot you as soon as you turned around? **

**As for his Bankai and Hollow Form, they will come along, he just hasn't found the reason or means to do them. **

**The assassin was meant to kill him withou anyone finding out it was foul play. After all if he died of natural causes rather than having his throat cut that means someone in the city killed him . Which is overly suspcious considering he was a witness to what happened at Shady Rest. So they had to kill him by 'natural' causes. **

**Yes, Jaina will see the value of having someone like him in this world. But use him like a tool, she isn't like that. Also crushing on him, not likely, although admiring him for his character is another thing. **

**Aluriea****: Glad you like it. **

**Guest #2****: Yep, wait and you will see how things play out. Yeah, the doctor with the hacksaw is my own creation, I am proud of it. She did think it was a little wierd, but still she is a member of the Theramore Guard and she had no reason to doubt her, also she would likely know where the medics were. Also when you hear one name and think of another. Don't be, I get it all the time. I watched Princess Lover once, guy in there called Isshin, immediantely think of Bleach. As for making a Star Wars fic, I don't know, I am not very knowledgable on the universe and it is a big universe. But we never know where the road takes us. **

**Xbox432****: Damn man, sorry to hear that. I always hate when you get to the last chapter and think, it better not end on a cliffhanger. **

**LordXeenTheGreat****: Glad you like it. I always do well when writing fight scenes. **

**Lord Sigfry****: He is fifteen and this is during the Hueco Mundo arc. Also the fact that he is fighting a man that has been harnessing demonic power for the last ten thousand years and is very power does not seem to reach your ears. The Prince is a very old and powerful enemy. Also I agree with your wisdom on monster and children. Kinds of reminds me of 'Gods and Monsters'. SHHHHH! Some of them might be listening. **

**DragonBlade00****: As far as I know there is no distinct time distortion between the two realms. **


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